Mindless Self Insertion
by The Wing Alchemist
Summary: What happens when a troubled girl goes to Florida and meets the Goddess of Mana herself at the Tree of Life? This story, that's what! My name's Ariella, and my dream came true that hot day during spring break of junior year. Chapter 1, revised!
1. Down the Rabbit Hole

Guess what, readers! I just rewrote this chapter from scratch! It was hell-in-a-box to do, but I love the result. The original made me gag, so here's Chapter 1: Revised!

**Don't own, don't sue. Flame and you die.**

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Chapter 1: Down the Rabbit Hole

Sometime in everyone's life, they wish for a grand adventure. Be it fantasy or reality, most don't really care which, just as long as it's a trip into the unknown. Some girls wish they were really princesses, and that a brave knight was coming to liberate them from their life of pain or boredom. Some boys hope to become strong so they can protect the ones they love. And sometimes, when their hearts are filled with sorrow and loneliness, they wish for something to take them away from angry and abusive parents, hateful teachers, or even the school bully. They crave the attention and belonging that you hear about in stories, and it hurts them to think about the hardships they must face tomorrow.

And once in a while, a lonely child has their wish granted. Sure, it may not entail a magic broom or a trip into space, but it is an adventure they would not trade for the world. It could be anything from a visit to a long lost relative to a trip around the world with a parent. The memories made during those adventures are deep and full of lessons that help them through life's betrayals. But even if the memories are painful and full of doubt, the one who experienced them would not wish them away.

For what does not kill you makes you stronger in the end. When being bullied by an older kid at school, a child is forced to learn how to stand up for themselves. It is never easy, but the child usually gains new friends in the end. To get what you want, you must work hard.

See, the reason why I'm telling you this is…well, it's because I experienced one of those adventures. I was chosen to jump from one dimension to another, in order to save someone from their death. I had the choice, just like anyone else, to say no.

But I said yes. I didn't turn away, or cower in fear. No, I agreed, and I stepped into another land that few people on Earth even knew about.

Alas, I'm getting ahead of myself. I should probably start from the beginning, so you don't get lost.

* * *

It was an abnormally humid that 8th of April. It was 2009, and it was my junior year of high school. Of course, I was on spring break, and a group of friends and I were on a short vacation in Florida. We had decided on spending four days of our break from school in Orlando, Florida, and that meant one thing.

Disneyworld.

We had park hoppers to Magical Kingdom and Universal Studios, but we also had a pass to one of the few places I'd always dreamed of visiting. Animal Kingdom. To get up close to the Tree of Life was one of my dreams, and this trip was my dream come true. Sure, I'd eventually have to leave it, but I knew I would never forget standing next to it. I mean, the Tree of Life symbolizes life itself, and the many animals carved into its sides only prove my point.

"Hey, Ariella! Pay attention, will you?"

I blinked as my friend Kay waved her hand in front of my face, jarring me from my peaceful thoughts of the tree.

"Hmm?" I murmured. "What's up?"

"Are you still jetlagged or something?" my second friend Claire asked from the bus seat behind me, arching an eyebrow. I grinned and shrugged.

"I don't think so. I just couldn't sleep well last night."

"Was it the thought of being in a strange place, or just the fact that you were jumping out of your skin about going to Animal Kingdom?" my third friend Emery asked sarcastically.

"Both, but mostly the latter," I replied.

The girls just sighed and shook their heads, then went back to reading their park pamphlets. I'd known these girls for almost two years now, and they were my only good friends, aside from a few I saw only once a year. Kay wore her long blonde hair in a high pony, tied with a shoelace with pink skulls on it. Her blue eyes seemed full of confidence, and I guess I envied that about her. Whenever she was assigned a group project, she immediately snatched up the role of leader and guided the group to a good grade.

Emery and Claire were two of the nicest people I knew from my school. They were sisters, born a year apart, with brown hair and hazel eyes. They were into comic books and martial arts, which is where I learned my meager skills from. They were nice, but a little hot headed at times. Of course, every sibling relationship has some…issues, and theirs were no different.

Sometimes I wondered how I met these people. I had moments where I felt completely cut off, especially when they were talking about certain bands or movies. All three of them were artists, while I was a noob-ish writer. They liked those crazy horror movies while I enjoyed a good love story. They knew karate, judo, and Taekwondo (Claire, Emery, and Kay respectively), while I only knew self defense. It always gave me a massive headache when I lingered too long on it, but I still look back out of curiosity.

"Okay, so I've got this all planned out," Kay said with an evil grin. Everyone locked onto her and watched her point to several places at once on the pamphlet map. "First up is the Oasis, because we all love the animals to death."

"Dibs on the lemurs," I said automatically. Kay bopped me on the head with the pamphlet and continued.

"After that, we'll check out some of the games and lesser roller coasters, and then we'll take on Expedition Everest. Then we'll head to the Tree of Life."

"I'm gonna sit out on the roller coaster, okay?" I said quietly. "I get motion sickness on those things."

"Fine, fine," Claire said with a roll of her eyes. I smiled gratefully at all three of them, my stomach feeling much calmer than it had a few minutes before. Getting near a roller coaster would be enough to make me puke, after the crap I went through on my junior high field trip to Valley Fair. That had been hellish.

Soon the Tree of Life loomed into view, its branches clearing the treetops easily. I could feel the butterflies come back, but this time they were okay. I was excited, and I couldn't help but grin during the rest of the bus ride to the park. I'd only been to Animal Kingdom once before, when I was thirteen, and I'd instantly fallen in love with the place. The animals, the attractions, the movies…the Tree. It was all heaven to me.

The bus screeched to a stop outside the front gate, and everyone piled out at once. Savoring the feel of the misty, post-storm air on my face, I walked slowly towards the gate with my friends urging me forward. I tried to ignore their protests, but it became impossible when Kay started pinching me in a 'playful' manner.

When we made it inside the park, Claire and Emery shot off for the gift shop, making Doctor Who references all the way. I laughed at their actions, but stopped when I heard the words, "Look mommy, it's a lemur!" from a nearby kid. Spinning on my heel, I whipped out my Canon EOS digital camera and snapped two shots of the nearest lemur, who was giving his tail a bath. I bit my lip and snapped several more shots before sneaking back to where Kay stood by the gift shop.

Once Claire and Emery were done gawking at the prices of the souvenirs, we headed for the Oasis, where they kept all the animals. I was taking so many shots at once that I thought my camera would explode from overuse. Good thing I had my laptop back in the hotel room, though. I'd need to upload all the pictures to it once we got back.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, a sure sign that the park would close soon. Or at least the rides would. The theaters and the games would still be open for play, and the animals would just take shelter, like the humans.

Suddenly I found all three of my friends had clamped their hands onto my arms and shoulders, and were quickly steering me away from the Oasis and towards the rides. I didn't start protests all that much until I realized they were guiding me towards Expedition Everest.

"Girls, I don't know what you're thinking, but I don't want to go near that roller coaster."

"Oh, we won't make you go near it," Kay said with a smile. "No, you're just going on it."

I immediately dug my heels into the pavement and yanked out of their grip. "I'm not going on it! You can't force me!"

"Shut up, Ariella. You're making a scene," Emery said with a glance at the people around us. They were sending us curious looks, but nothing more.

"I don't care. I'm not going on it. I thought we agreed on that." I glared at them, but they just shrugged.

"Come on, Ari, don't be a party pooper," Kay said. "It's just one roller coaster ride. It's not we're going to make you go on all the rides."

Memories of Valley Fair bubbled to the surface of my mind, and I found tears pricking my eyes. I hated remembering how helpless I felt in that place. I was always scared of heights, scared of falling, and scared of getting hurt. I was always easily bullied, and going to Valley Fair that year had only proved it.

At the time, I'd had more friends, but they weren't really my friends. They'd called me a chicken and had forced me on five of the large roller coasters, including the Power Tower. For me, that stupid tower had been my breaking point. My fear of falling had kicked in, and I'd fainted right before the machine had started traveling up.

When I woke up, I was in the park's infirmary, my mother of all people at my side. She said I'd gotten heat stroke or something stupid like that, and that my friends had gone back to the school. I later found out that my friends had been embarrassed by my fainting, and they went as far as to tell me they were never my friends. They just hung out with me to make them look better.

That was the first time I'd felt like killing someone on the spot.

"Why…why are you doing this?" I asked. It was the same question I'd asked the other girls that day after Valley Fair.

"Because it's fun."

I felt my heart lurch into my throat. That answer…that was the same answer the girls had given me that day.

"You're all the same," I hissed, glaring at the three of them. Through my tears I could see them looking at each other with strange expressions, and I added, "You're all the worst. You're just bullies!"

I turned and stalked off into the crowd, ignoring the girls' calls for me to come back. I just kept pushing through the crowd until I found myself at the path leading to the Tree of Life. I felt like I couldn't breathe, like my throat had just closed up, and my vision began to swim. Keeping a firm hand on the wooden railing, I walked down the steps and took a right into an Employees Only path. I ducked the chain barrier and kept walking, only coming to a stop when I reached the base of the giant tree.

I took a seat next to one of the giant roots and leaned on it. It was cold to the touch and probably not a real tree at all, but I felt something deep inside it. It kinda felt like the glowing embers of a dying fire. It was a comforting feeling, and I sighed forlornly.

"Why is it that my friends always turn on me?" I asked the tree. "Why do they use me? Am I really that pathetic?"

I waited for an answer, but only heard the rustling of the leaves as a gust of wind rushed through them. I shivered and pulled my windbreaker tight around my arms, wishing for a sweatshirt. It may have been summer in Florida, but it was still too cold for sleeveless shirts during storms.

I placed a hand over my necklace, which was a piece of pewter with a large tree carved into it. I'd purchased it at a Renaissance Festival almost a year ago, and I'd never gone anywhere without it. It was my precious treasure, not to mention a huge part of my favorite videogame. Long live Tales of Symphonia!

"If I could meet Martel and Lloyd and the others…oh, that would be a dream come true. I wish I could meet them, travel with them, and get to know them. Maybe…maybe they could be friends with me?" I looked up at the tree and added, "What do you think, Martel?"

Suddenly the sky grew dark, and thunder boomed loudly. I slapped my hands to my ears and pressed myself against the tree. Rain began to pummel the ground angrily in front of me, and lightning flashed close by. I quickly scooted away from the tree, knowing full well that if lightning struck it, I'd be shocked too.

Just as I reached the tar path in front of me, there was a huge crack of thunder right above me, and lightning struck the tree. The ground rumbled unstably, and a large crack in the tree ripped open. I could smell something burning, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the huge rip in the bark. It looked like a regular cavity, the kind trees usually had, but there was something there. Goosebumps ran up my arms as I approached it. When I touched the bark, it was warm and almost vibrating.

And then I started hearing a voice.

_"Ariella…"_

I looked behind me, searching the area for people.

"Who's there?" I asked.

_"Ariella,"_ the voice called again. _"Ariella, this way. Come quickly."_

I turned back to the tree and looked inside the cavity, squinting into the darkness for any sign of the voice's source. "Yes? I'm right here."

_"Come quickly…you wish…"_

I almost turned and ran from that place, but I couldn't move. The magnetic pull from before was dragging me into the tree's cavity. I was terrified and calm at the same time, my emotions clashing with every inch I lost to the pull.

"Where are you? I can't see you."

_"Here,"_ the voice called from below. _"Shall I grant your wish? Will you grant mine? Please hurry…before I fade…"_

"I'm coming," I said as my fingers finally slipped from the cavity's edge. I fell forward immediately, plummeting into darkness. The hole closed up behind me, but I didn't mind. If I was falling, I wouldn't be able to get out that way.

I smiled as my falling began to slow. My fear of falling wasn't awake. I was still calm…which was weird. Usually I would've been screaming my head off for help, but this was different somehow. In a way, I knew I was safe. I wouldn't die when I found the ground.

My fall came to a slow stop, and I floated in place for a second before smacking roughly against dirt. I immediately put a hand to the back of my head, where a bruise was sure to form. It didn't hurt, but it was a rough landing. I'd forgotten to watch for the ground. I'd done exactly what Goofy had done in Kingdom Hearts.

"Down the rabbit hole, I guess," I said to myself as I looked up. I couldn't see the top of the tree, or even twenty feet up for that matter. It was all cloaked in darkness.

"Ariella…"

I turned around as I stood up and came face to face with a beautiful woman in green. The game didn't do her justice. Her sea foam green hair was glossy and long, and her deep green eyes held nothing but contentment.

"Martel," I mumbled, completely in shock. I blinked for several seconds, then pinched myself on the side. I didn't wake up. "Oh my god, you're real!"

"I am very real, Ariella," she said. "I am because you called to me. Your wish awoke me in this world, and I have come to help you."

"Help me? What…"

"Your wish. You wished to meet Lloyd and the others, correct?"

I was struck speechless. Martel, _THE_ Martel was in front of me, offering to take me to Lloyd and the others!

"You mean I can meet them? Really?!"

"Yes, but you will have some…limitations."

"What do you mean?"

"First, you will go by Ari while you are with them. Second, you must not let Cruxis find out where you are from or what you know. And three, you must never remove your Exsphere."

I nodded, barely registering her rules as my excitement escalated. "Yes! I'll do it! I'll do anything to go!"

"Good. Please protect them in my stead. I am…already at my limit. I only have enough power to get you to Sylvarant." She took a shaky breath, then said, "Protect them, Ariella…Now go to Iselia."

"I swear I'll protect them, Martel," I said as she waved her staff over my head. "I swear."

She gave me one last smile before disappearing in a flash of light, and I blacked out.

* * *

When I regained consciousness, I found I was sprawled out among the upper branches of a tree. I had to take several seconds to think about what had happened with Martel before I realized exactly where I was.

"_OH MY FRIGGIN' GOD!!_" I shouted, scrambling for the trunk of the tree. "Holy Mother of all that is gaming, I'm _HERE_!! I'm in Sylvarant!!" I let out a joyful cry and studied the land below. I was in a lone tree in the middle of a huge field of wildflowers. There were so many colors that I almost didn't see how high I really was. But I saw anyway and immediately latched onto the tree trunk again.

"Oh Martel, did you _have_ to drop me in a tree?

I carefully lowered myself to the ground and wandered the area, getting used to the idea that I was no longer on Earth, but in Sylvarant. That's when I noticed my clothes. I wore a light beige vest over a black tank top, with straps that crisscrossed over my chest. My khakis were the same shade of light beige at the vest, and I had a black belt that held a small pouch on the side. My shoes looked like Colette's shoes, expect mine had silver leaves for the buttons, and the inner lining was beige. I even had black stockings and gloves. Everything was snug and fit me like as if I'd custom ordered it.

Once I was done freaking out over that, I began looking for some kind of sign that I was near Iselia. It was probably five minutes before the pillar of light erupted from the forest to my left. So that was probably northwest or something.

"Gotta move it! Can't be late!" I told myself as I began a swift run towards the light. I grinned as the image of the White Rabbit appeared in my head. "I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date! No time to say hello, goodbye! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!!" And then I smacked myself for making such a silly reference. I would miss people getting my references, but that was okay! I was in a place some people only dreamed of seeing.

As I neared the village of Iselia, I ran over the events that would occur next. First the Oracle light, then Lloyd and Genis and Colette skip class and head to the temple, then the pastor dies, and then the Renegades show up…

"Hail, traveler! What brings you to Iselia?"

I jumped at the voice, then realized I was closer than I'd thought to the village.

"I'm…I want to meet the Chosen of Regeneration!" I said randomly. "I was told she lives here, and I…"

"You're just in time!" the guard said as he adjusted his hat. "She's about to receive the Oracle and begin the journey! You can wait for her at her house."

"Thank you so much! Where is it?"

"Northern corner of the village. It has a large garden out front. You can't miss it."

"Thanks!" I gave him a smile and slowed my run to a walk, savoring the smells that began to assault my senses. I could still smell wildflowers, like the ones from the field I'd woken up in. I could smell someone's dinner, which I assumed to be a very well made beef stew.

I kept walking through the village, finally finding the schoolhouse, when I smelled something strange. I couldn't identify it easily. It wasn't a smell from nature. It was like…metal. Rust? Or weapons? I frowned and walked over to the nearest person.

"What's that smell?" I asked.

The person, a young woman a few years older than me, replied, "It's the smell of the Desians. They carry the smell of all the people they've killed. It's disgusting." She coughed and walked away, covering her mouth with a sleeve.

I sighed and wandered the area, waiting for Lloyd, Genis and Colette to emerge from the schoolhouse. The Desians…they were horrible monsters. They killed loved ones and ripped families to shreds, all in good fun. The Renegades were just as bad. They were liars. But then…so was I. I would have to lie about everything. My past, my home, my family.

I needed a story. I needed one now, and I needed one fast. There was no way I'd be able to lie my way out of any questions on the spot.

_My city of origin would be Luin, of course. It's going to be destroyed, so I'll be able to keep traveling with them. I lived there with a friend, but that friend fell ill. Of course, that friend will be my way of remembering Martel, so there would be no real connection to Luin. My past? I'm an orphan, because my real parents suck. I'd rather not have parents. I just lived with my friend for as long as I can remember. _

I ran over several other key points, then heaved a sigh of relief. I was safe.

I cast a glance at the schoolhouse, then did a double-take. I couldn't see anyone wearing red. Was Lloyd even in there?! I walked to the north gate and peeked inside. Of course…Lloyd wasn't there. Which meant he, Colette, and Genis had already left for the temple!

I booked it though the gate and headed for the beam of light at top speed.

"Down the rabbit hole I go!"

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The revision is done! And it was completely by chance that I thought about the 'Down the Rabbit Hole' theme. I love Alice in Wonderland, and reading over this just made me grin. :D

I'm gonna go work on chapter 14 now! Have a lovely day!


	2. Befriending the Lamb

Hello, readers. Thanks to those of you who reviewed. I'm very grateful for your support! It's a complete self-esteem boost for me! Anyway, chapter 2 is up now, and I will be completing chapter 4 later tonight. Hoo...I'm going really fast with this. I've already got the Tower of Salvation part written out. Please enjoy.

BTW, thanks to all of those who read, commented, and faved/alerted my story! You're the best!

**Don't own, don't sue. Flame and you die.**

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Chapter 2: Kratos

As I ran to Martel Temple, I felt my panic growing rapidly. Flashes of the game spun through my head, and I grew even more afraid. Had they seen Botta yet? What about Kratos? Had the priests been killed?

A sobbing sound stopped me dead in my tracks. I hid behind a tree and glanced at the trail ahead. Lloyd, Colette, and Genis were kneeling over the form of the dead priest. I bit my lip and watched as the teens mourned the loss of their pastor. I felt bad for them...this journey was full of so much pain.

Soon they stood up and began their ascent up the stairs. I started after them, but Martel's words rang in my head.

"_You know what will happen…what has to happen."_

I froze, gripping my necklace. I couldn't stop what was supposed to happen. I couldn't stop Colette from losing her soul, I couldn't stop Kratos before he betrayed everyone, and I couldn't even prevent Marble's death or Lloyd's exile. It sucks knowing the future.

As soon as they were at the top of the stairs, I began climbing after them, mentally preparing myself for the coming battle. I'd have to participate to get in the Chosen's group. But then, about halfway up the stairs, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

Where's my weapon? I strained to remember what Martel had said. Something about having a weapon once I reached the ground. I patted my sides, searching for some kind of item. I began cursing quietly. How could I have forgotten that?! I was such an idiot!

I gave up the search and swiped a long, thick tree branch off the ground. It fit well in my hand, but it felt flimsy and dead. If it came to it, I'd use hand to hand combat. I remembered Vidaar used a mace, as well as a hammer. I cringed, already hearing my bones snapping like twigs.

Quickly pushing the thought away, I headed up the last bit of stairs and watched Vidaar emerge from the temple.

"Do not get in our way," his said in his deep voice.

I bit my lip, then joined the fight, standing next to Lloyd.

"Who are you?" he asked. I avoided his gaze, knowing full well my inner fangirl would go crazy the moment I looked him in the eye.

"A friend. You gonna watch him?" I asked, motioning to Vidaar. Lloyd nodded and charged at the huge man, jumping over the mace as it swung low to the ground. I followed him and swung the stick at Vidaar's head, succeeding in landing a blow.

Unfortunately, he recovered really fast and knocked me aside. I landed in a heap near Genis, who handed me a small piece of red glop. An Apple Gel. I inhaled it and looked back at Vidaar. He was closing in on Colette. I forced back a shout and tossed my stick aside, tackling Vidaar and wrapping my arm around his throat. Colette stared at me in disbelief.

"Run, Chosen! Move it!"

Colette blinked, then scrambled out of the way as Vidaar brought his hammer down where she'd been a second ago. He was having trouble breathing now, but I was beginning to feel drained. I needed strength fast. Where the hell was Kratos?!

Vidaar finally flung me off his back, and I skidded dangerously close to the stairs. I nursed the bruise on my side and glared at him. I needed a weapon.

I saw a small white light out of the corner of my eye, gathering over my Exsphere. Following my gut, I placed a hand over it, noticing how it was really warm. What was happening? I felt an overwhelming amount of power gathering in my hands, and when I pulled it away, there was a thin white light layered over both of my gloved hands. It was calming, and it made me feel really strong. Was this what it felt like to have an Exsphere's help?

I looked up, realizing the fight was still going on. Vidaar was looming over Lloyd this time, who looked to be worse for wear. I ran at Vidaar's back and, my new instincts taking over completely, punched the oaf in the unpadded area of his shoulder. The white light around my hands slashed into his flesh like claws, and bright red blood spurted from the wound. I jumped back in surprise. I'd never wounded anything before in my life, so how was I supposed to take this? I'm a pacifist, not a fighter!

Vidaar glared at me, completely oblivious to my inner thoughts, and whacked Lloyd into Colette, who stumbled and fell onto Genis, who ended up tripping onto my lap. I squeaked as I was knocked backwards, but instead of my back meeting ground, I met someone's legs. I looked up and resisted the urge to go crazed fangirl.

Kratos stood tall above me, glaring at Vidaar and Botta.

"Get out of the way," he growled.

I squared my shoulders and stood up, helping Genis and Colette up as the man in pruple unsheathed his sword. He practically kicked Vidaar's butt to Derris Kharlan in a matter of seconds. All we had to do was stand back. I don't think anyone wanted to get in the way of the mercenary's blade.

Botta flinched as Vidaar went down for the last time, then glared at Kratos.

"I never thought you'd show up. Damn. Retreat for now," he said, running for the stairs with his forces in tow, which totaled to be about ten. Lloyd must've taken out the other ones. As Botta passed, I couldn't help but grimace. In the future, he'd be on our side, and he'd save us from certain death in the island ranch. Crap. That would suck.

"Thank you," someone said. I came back to reality and looked at Colette, who was giving me a blinding smile. I felt my face go red with embarrassment.

"F-for what?"

"For helping me before," she said. "I was in trouble, and you saved me. Thank you so much!"

I grinned and scratched the back of my head.

"Oh, it's the least I could do. You were in trouble. I had to help."

"But you could've been hurt," she said, concerned. I shook my head.

"I just…did what I thought was right." We smiled at each other, and we were instant friends. She was too cute! Her smile was infectious.

"I'm Colette. That's Lloyd, and this is Genis."

"I'm Ari. It's nice to meet you."

I looked at Kratos. He was talking to Phaidra. Shoot, I was missing that entire conversation! I walked over to them, but kept my eyes on my shoes.

"Under the circumstances, I have little choice. Please be of service."

"Uh…umm…"

"It's a deal then."

"Um…hi," I mumbled, tugging at a strand of my hair. "I'm Ari. I'd like to travel with the Chosen…if that's okay."

Phaidra blinked and Kratos glared at me, as if trying to dissect me with his eyes. I turned red again.

"I have no way of paying-," Phaidra started.

"Oh, no! You don't have to pay me. I just…I feel like I should help her."

Phaidra nodded with a grateful sigh. Kratos' glare intensified.

"It's going to be dangerous," he said. I nodded, sticking him with a glare of my own.

"I know. I'm…I'm going to get stronger."

"The monsters will be overwhelming at times."

"So are parents."

By the time I realized I'd hit a nerve, Kratos turned away, huffing and heading for the temple doors.

Of course, Colette wanted Lloyd and Genis to come along. Kratos said his part about Lloyd staying behind, but Lloyd wouldn't have it, and we all ended up heading into the temple together. Yay!

Three steps in, and I went nuts. Everything was completely different than the game. The walls were a light sandy color like the videogame, but they were decorated with beautiful murals, depicting the goddess Martel exactly how she looked; her green hair and pale skin, her staff clasped lightly in her thin hands. She was beautiful. She was shown in many ways; holding the planet in her arms; a small flower blossoming in her outstretched hand; and even one where she stood hand in hand with some blonde dude at the base of a giant tree. Mithos, most likely.

"So this is what the inside of the temple looks like!" Lloyd said, almost as awed as I was. Genis nodded mutely, entranced by the walls. He was definitely related to Raine.

Raine. Oh no…When I usually played the game, she terrified me. She was so strict and to-the-book that I never really got to like her, like the teachers at my school. Ugh…I hope we wouldn't have to do homework on the journey.

"Colette, you've been here many times, right?" Genis asked. Colette nodded.

"Yeah, but it seems different than usual," she said, glancing at the hallways cautiously.

"It must be the monsters. An evil presence radiates from within the temple," Kratos said.

I wandered around the area while they talked. It was like déjà vu, but without the TV screen and Gamecube controller. I was totally in my element now, and nothing was going to tear me out of it. We'd begun moving into the right hallway now, but I was still staring at the walls, though my thoughts had taken me to my memories.

"Um…Ari?"

I turned around, realizing Colette had come to walk next to me.

"Yes, Colette? What's the matter?"

"I was just curious but…where are you from? Kratos won't tell me anything about himself, so I thought maybe I'd get to know you."

I kept my poker face on and scrambled to remember what I'd come up with earlier.

"I…uh…I came from Luin, or at least, I remember Luin. My friend lives there. She's the one who wanted to meet you, but…she's fallen ill and…" I trailed off, remembering my friends from the real world.

"I'm so sorry," Colette said, pain present in her expression. I blinked and waved my hands in front of me.

"No no! It's okay! I've never talked to anyone about it before." I sighed, beginning to feel the guilt of lying pile up on my shoulders. I wondered if I'd ever get the chance to tell the truth. I felt like bursting into tears. Gah, I'm a wimp. What am I doing here?

"If you travelled all the way here from Luin, where are your things?"

I stopped dead in my tracks, staring disbelievingly at Kratos. Crap! I hadn't even thought about it!

"I...got robbed. Went to get food one night, and came back to find everything gone."

He simply turned and continued walking down the hall. I clenched my fist tightly, wanting to blow something up. Colette patted my shoulder reassuringly, smiling.

"We'll find your things, Ari! Don't worry!"

I sighed and shook my head.

"I didn't really have much. Just a blanket and some gels."

"Well, then we'll help you find the thief."

"It's alright, Colette. Don't worry about it."

And of course, a group of monsters picked that exact moment to spring and attack on us. I took one side of Colette while Genis took the other, and Kratos and Lloyd on the attack. I felt my gloves fill up with power as a ghost approached, wielding that stupid hammer. I punched it right in the kisser and gave it a wobbly right hook. It spun backwards, but remained in the air. Genis struck it with a fireball, and it went down. By that time, Lloyd and Kratos had finished off the spiders.

"You okay, Ari?" Genis asked. I frowned, looking at my Exsphere.

"I guess. Maybe I'm just rusty or something. I haven't had to fight a lot since I came to this continent."

"Are the monsters tougher to the east?" Colette asked.

"I guess."

"You should train more, for someone who's supposed to be protecting the Chosen," Kratos said, not even turning to look at me. I was tempted to kick him in the shin _really hard_, but I held back, bottling up my anger for later. If that was a challenge, then there was no way I'd refuse.

"Are you saying you'd be willing to help me?"

"Maybe."

I smirked.

"Sounds like fun."

That ended that, and we found ourselves in the lower temple. The floor was transparent under our feet, and it gave me chills. I wasn't going to look down. No way.

"What's this?"

Everyone turned to look at Colette, who was staring curiously at a golem. I suddenly remembered this part of the game. We had to fight the golem and push its remains into the holes. Easy. We took our positions and readied ourselves for a fight.

Yeah…um…fighting a rock monster with your bare hands is a lot like having your bones smashed by a hammer. And it took a long time for me to land a solid hit without getting swiped at by giant rocky hands. Lloyd was having a bit of trouble as well, but when Genis began casting his wind magic, everything went a lot better.

When the battle ended, the box appeared, and Colette accidentally pushed it into one of the numerous holes around the platform. Everyone except her and Lloyd figured it out and we managed to spend only about fifteen minutes pushing boxes into holes. What a story this would be. Someone asks what we did in the temple. Yeah, we pushed a bunch of boxes around and all we got was this dinky ring.

"Cool! I wanna try it out!"

"You're such a kid, Lloyd!" Genis said, shaking his head.

"I second the motion," I said, raising my hand. Colette giggled and Kratos just shook his head. I took a long look around the room. Not as big as in the game, but cool nonetheless. Personally, I couldn't wait until we were at the hot spring. Yes, I knew Zelos was going to peep, but I was eager to try out new things. I'd only been outside my home state twice, and both were to Disneyworld.

We slowly made our way back to the temple entrance, but turned right so we were heading down that center hallway. I braced myself, hoping to Martel that I wouldn't kill Remiel where he stood. Er…flew…floated. Oh, you get the point.

Lloyd broke the seal with the ring and we made our way towards the teleport pad. Of course, Kratos kept to the rear of the group. I cursed his emotionless hide a bunch of times. I really hate him...

By the time we got to the teleport pad, my head ached from all my mental cursing, and my finger twitched, eager to really flip off the (for lack of a better word) meanie. I pushed that aside and took my turn on the pad. Strangely, I barely felt anything as I was taken apart and put together again. I checked for missing body parts, then jumped when Kratos appeared behind me and "Hmm"ed. I skittered out of his way and stood by Lloyd, whose gaze was fixated on Colette.

Colette really was pretty as she readied herself for Buckethead's descent. Her long blonde hair was a beautiful gold, and her blue eyes were full of happiness. She was a sweetheart, and a total angel. I could see why Lloyd liked her.

We watched her approach the altar with an expression that was meant to be brave, but betrayed a slight sense of fright. This was the first step. Kratos and I both knew that this was the first step towards her 'death'. I didn't want to think about how that would feel when it happened, but I'd deal with it when it came. Gah, I'm such a pessimist. And a wimp. Again, I am questioning Martel's judgment on her decision to send _me_ here. Ugh…

"Oh Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me thy strength."

Gradually, the stone on the altar began glowing red. It was brilliant and mesmerizing, not to mention incredible to watch. The stone was both amazing…and a curse.

Then HE appeared. That stupid angel himself, Remiel. He wore the same green and white robes from the game, but with even more details than the animation. Maybe a little too gaudy, though. I couldn't see Kratos or Regal wearing it. Anyway, he was quite a sight to behold (if not tacky).

As he began babbling about Cruxis' blessing and stuff, I clenched my fist and tuned him out as best I could. I feigned surprise and amazement when the Tower of Salvation appeared. It was big. I'd say about infinity times the height of the Empire State Building, maybe. I didn't know how far up it went. I wondered how long it would take to walk to Tethe'alla.

"Once you are reborn as an angel, this eroded land will be regenerated," Remiel said proudly, dragging me back from my reverie.

"Thank you. I swear on my life I will regenerate the world."

"Good. First, head south, to the Seal of Fire. Offer your prayers in that distant land."

"I humbly accept this trial," Colette said with a nod. Remiel nodded and began his ascent.

"Uh, wait! Please wait! I have a question I wish to ask of you," Colette said quickly. "Are you really my fa-"

"First head to the Seal of Fire, understood? My beloved daughter, Colette."

"F-father! So you really are my true father."

"We shall meet again at the next seal, my daughter."

And with that, Remiel disappeared, going back into the heavens. Or Derris Kharlan. Whichever you prefer.

Colette walked down from the altar, fingering the small stone which was now embedded in her neck. Lloyd immediately began talking, but my eyes kept slipping to Kratos. He stood there, completely indifferent to the world and out of reach. I sighed and walked back towards the teleport pad. I was eager to get this journey started.

"Shall we head back?" I asked no one in particular. Kratos glanced at me for a split second, then looked to Colette.

"You have received the oracle. We should return to the village."

"Oh…alright," Colette said, nodding quickly. Kratos was already disappearing on the teleport pad when she turned around and smiled at Lloyd and Genis.

"Thanks for coming along, you two. Please stop by my house later."

And she was gone.

"Is that guy just indifferent to the world or is he just really stuck up?" Lloyd asked. Genis blinked, then shrugged.

"I dunno. He's probably got his reasons."

"Yeah…maybe," Lloyd said, frowning slightly. Then he turned to me. "So…why do you want to go along with Colette on her journey?"

I opened my mouth to answer when I realized something. Kratos and Colette had left without me. I needed to be with them so I wouldn't miss the coming conversation with Phaidra. C-R-A-P!!!

I was on the teleport pad in an instant, babbling incessantly.

"Right, right! I gotta go! I'll see you boys later, so, uh, yeah! See ya!"

The teleporter whirred to life, and I was instantly switched to the lower hallway. I could just see Colette and Kratos heading through the temple doors.

"Wait for me!!!" I shouted, sprinting after them. Colette stopped (bless her enormous heart!) but Kratos simply slowed his walk. Jerk! I _will_ lay some smack-down on your purple butt…when you're not looking…gah, I'm a chicken.

"Thank for waiting, Colette. I really appreciate it."

"Of course," she said with a smile. "That's what friends are for."

I smiled back, linking arms with her happily.

"Yeah! We're friends now. You can tell me anything."

"Right!" she agreed. I held up my pinkie finger, and she curled hers around it. "Promise."

* * *

Our walk back to Iselia was uneventful and slightly awkward. I really wanted to talk to Colette about girl stuff (as well as angel stuff), but I couldn't give anything away with Kratos around. I mean, Martel had said before that they only knew there'd been a small distortion in space for a brief second. There was nothing to tie me to it, except if I started blabbing about my life two hours prior. Yeah, I'm a high school student working part time at Cub Foods. I'm going to major in English and minor in Arts, and your entire journey is summed up in a videogame. Bet'cha didn't see THAT coming, eh, Mithos?!

We reached the village before I had the chance to snap and actually say that, and Colette immediately led us to her house. Oh my gosh, it was soooo cute! The garden out front, the arch woven with vines, and the simple design of it all! Ack! I need my journal! Must write down random blurbs of inspiration for stories!

Phaidra met us at the door and motioned for us to sit down around the table. Kratos took the seat across from Phaidra and Colette sat adjacent to Frank, so I was left with the spot next to Kratos. I felt my nerves humming under my skin, but I ignored it and sat down, trying hard not to come off as pushy or annoying.

"I guess the first thing I should do is thank you again for accompanying Colette on her journey of regeneration," the old woman said simply. I smiled, but Kratos shook his head.

"Though I accept your thanks, and do not desire to come off as egotistic, but I would like to ask you a question," he said. Phaidra nodded slowly, so he continued, "Why would you allow a child no older than the Chosen herself on such a dangerous journey?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Frank asked, a frown pulling at his lips. Kratos shrugged, though it was more of a twitch.

"I am speaking of Ari. She looks to be as old as the Chosen, if not younger, and barely knows how to fight. I feel that it would be unnecessary to bring her along.

I felt my face go red as I clenched my fists. He'd seen my poor fighting style, and now he was going to undermine everything by planting doubt in Phaidra's mind. I felt nauseous, and my head began to ache.

"See? She is barely fit to fight, let alone protect someone so important."

Snap.

I barely registered any pain as I slammed my fists down on the table, causing it to crack and fissure in several places. I kept my eyes closed, but I knew everyone's eyes were on me, and I felt the white light of my Exsphere enveloping my hands.

"How dare you, Kratos," I growled. "How dare you say something so horrible! I've had people make fun of me before, but I won't tolerate it from a grown man! I don't care what you think! If you leave me behind, I'll just follow you! I know exactly where you're going, so don't even try it! I'm going with you and that's IT!"

The room was quiet, so I finally opened my eyes. Everyone was staring at me with wide eyes, and I couldn't help but feel completely stupid. I'd let it all out, and I felt drained.

"Do as you wish."

Instant recharge. Before I did anymore damage, I stood up and headed for the door.

"I'm going to clear my head."

No one protested as I fled the house and into the village. At least, I didn't hear anyone following me. I was too stressed to hear anything anymore. My hands hurt badly, and my legs felt really sore, but I kept walking until I came to Genis and Raine's house. I pulled off my gloves and stuck them in the water, watching the small fish in the pond take interest in them. Who knew fish were so cute? I watched them perform their underwater ballet with a small smile, secretly envious. I wanted so badly not to be human at that moment. I wanted fins or wings, or maybe even the ability to shape shift. I'd be happy with that. I mean, who hasn't thought about that?

I removed my hand from the pond slowly and carefully patted it dry. I'd clenched my fists so hard that my fingers ached, but at least I hadn't broken anything when I'd smashed the table. I grimaced at the memory. I'd have to pay for it somehow, or help Dirk make a new one. I shook my head. I'd never be able to use a knife. I could barely hold a butter knife. I always drop them because I'm so clumsy.

I watched the sun touch the horizon, then stood up, pulling on my gloves before heading back towards Colette's house. I needed to apologize big time. I really felt horrible about it. Maybe I'd be able to tell Colette the truth about me soon. I truly wished for it.

When I reached her house, Lloyd and Genis were standing outside, and Colette was doing her excessive apologizing again. I sucked in a deep breath and walked up to her, keeping my eyes on the ground.

"Ari? What's the matter?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, Colette. I got really worked up and…well, I didn't mean to break that table."

I saw Lloyd and Genis take a step back, but Colette shook her head.

"It's alright. I told Kratos to stop trying to persuade grandmother into not letting you come, and he stopped. You're still welcome on the journey."

I straightened up and let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Colette. I owe you one, big time."

"Not at all," she said with a smile.

I returned her smile, then turned to Lloyd and Genis, my hands on my hips. "So where are you boys headed?"

"I'm going home," Lloyd said. Genis nodded, tightening his grip on the bag of cookies behind his back. I grinned and waved.

"Well, don't stay out too late. We'll see you tomorrow."

Colette nodded and turned to head back inside, but stopped at the door.

"Bye, Lloyd," she said quietly. Lloyd's cheeks turned pink, but he hid it.

"See ya, Colette."

With that, Lloyd and Genis began their journey to the Human Ranch. An uneasy feeling twisted in my gut, and I knew it was because of the Desians. I was allowing them to walk into the ranch and get themselves exiled from Iselia. But there was nothing I could do about it.

I sighed and followed Colette inside, stopping only to apologize profusely to Phaidra and Frank for breaking the table before heading upstairs to Colette's room.

"So…when do we leave tomorrow?"

"We'll be leaving around dawn," Colette said happily, stopping in front of the door farthest from the stairs. She opened it quickly and pushed me inside, shutting the door quietly behind her.

"I've never had a friend my age before," she said as she pulled a large stack of blankets, as well as a small cushion, out of her closet. "It's always been me, Lloyd, and Genis."

"So I'm your first female friend?" I asked, bending down to help her lay out the items. She nodded, focused on her work.

"That's right. I'm the Chosen, so I haven't had much of a friend-filled childhood. Everyone is nice to me and all, but sometimes I wonder what it's like to have a girl for a friend."

"I hear ya, Colette. Guys are great and all, but sometimes they're like a whole different species of…well, you get it, right?"

"You mean they're all something other that human?"

"I…in a sense, sort of. Have you ever encountered something you just can't seem to grasp?"

"I think so. You mean like the difference between humans and elves?"

"Sort of. I guess I just mean that you never fully understand them in the end. They're always a mystery." I paused, then added, "Well, at least teenage boys are."

Colette laughed at my joke, and for once, I felt as if I had a true friend.

We chatted for hours after that, and then Phaidra and Frank served up a delicious meal before Colette, Kratos and I headed up to Lloyd's house. We took Genis and Raine along with us, since Raine was going to be leaving with us and she didn't want to leave Genis alone.

It didn't' take all that long, surprisingly. It was just hiking up a really steep hill, through a dark forest, and across a small river. By the time I'd finished staring at everything, I saw we'd reached Lloyd's beautiful two-story house. I started for the door, but stopped when I heard Lloyd and Dirk yelling at each other. I had stepped back only a few feet when Lloyd pushed the door open and stomped out of the house, his face completely red. Had…had Dirk actually hit him?

"Oh…let me guess…you heard that just now?" he asked quietly. We nodded.

"I'm sorry, Lloyd," Genis said sincerely. "Because of me, you…"

"It's not your fault, Genis."

"Lloyd, you should talk to Colette," Raine suggested. Lloyd agreed, and they headed up there, leaving me with the others. It was a little awkward, I must admit. I didn't have anything to say to them. Genis was a bit smart-alecky, Raine was insane, and Kratos was just Kratos. I didn't have anything in common with them.

That's when I noticed the grave. Anna's grave. I walked towards it, but then I thought, Better safe than sorry.

"Um, Miss Raine? Who's grave is that?"

Raine blinked, following my gaze to the grave. "Oh, that's Anna's grave. She was Lloyd's mother." She looked back at me. "Why?"

"I don't know. I was just curious."

"And there's no reason to call me Miss. Just call me Raine."

"Thank you, Raine."

I walked over to the grave and knelt down, hoping my prayer would reach Anna.

_Anna, my name's Ariella. I'm going to be traveling with Lloyd for a long time, and I want you to know that I'll keep him safe. I know I'm not very strong now, but maybe with your help and Martel's Exsphere, I can get stronger. I also hope the worlds join together without a hitch. I want this journey to be fun, and not just a big ball of depression. Maybe I'll even get to learn more about you! Anyway, I'm here to make sure your son becomes a hero. Please, be at peace._

I stood up and dusted myself off, then joined the group back in front of the house.

"So is Lloyd coming with us?" I asked. Raine shook her head.

"Lloyd is strong, but not nearly strong enough for this journey," she said. "I'll go get Colette."

She disappeared into the house, reappearing moments later with Colette in tow. Colette turned and waved to Lloyd, who was still standing on the terrace, and sent him a smile with a trace of sadness hidden deep within. I placed a hand on her shoulder and guided her towards path to the village.

"You're not going to let him come, are you?" I asked her once we'd said our goodbyes to Raine and Genis. We were back in the village, and heading to her house now, getting ready to depart at dawn.

"I don't want him to get hurt," she said sincerely. "This journey is going to be dangerous, and I want him to be safe until it's all over."

"I understand," I said quietly.

We headed inside the house and up to her room, though I really wanted to explore the village a little bit. When I'd voiced this, Colette immediately shook her head, saying there was a curfew in place in order to protect her. That was understandable, in a way.

"So what happens when you become an angel?" I asked after a bit. She smiled.

"I go to heaven. What else would happen, Ari?"

"I dunno. Maybe I'm just being weird."

She shook her head as soon as I finished the sentence.

"No way! You're not weird! You're a nice person, and you just want to help people, right?"

"Uh, yeah," I said hesitantly. "That's me…heh…"

Now I for one knew I was not always this nice. I was trying to be her friend, but I knew I could be a real bitch when it came down to it. I was a mishmash of emotions, bottled up into one body, for the sake of Pete! I could go from happy to sad in seconds, not to mention angry, jealous, and any other emotion you could think of. I was a mess of a person with no hold on reality.

"Ari, are you alright?" Colette asked, peeking at me though my bangs. I sighed out of habit and fingered my necklace.

"I'm just…kind of tired. I'd like to get some rest before we set out."

"Oh, of course!" she said energetically. "You take the bed-"

"No way. You take it," I said, already hunkering down under the futon's sheets. "I'm used to sleeping like this."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Go to sleep, Colette, my good friend."

* * *

Chapter 2 is done! Finally, I'm getting somwhere. Next chapter I'll be heading to Triet, and I don't want to bore you readers, so I combined two short chapters for one long one. I hope you all like it. 2 days 'til Christmas, 4 to my B-day. Sigh...I hope I can get another chapter it before then. See you all soon! Reveiw, comment, but no flames!


	3. Storm in the Desert

Hello readers. I've been doing a lot of writing today, so I figured I might as well stick another chapter up. I'm probably going a bit faster than other writers, but I don't like to dwell on long thoughts. I feel it distracts from the main plot, so I say what I feel, explain it, and move on. If you couldn't tell, I am somewhat emotional when it comes to name calling...sorry.

Anyway, I will be signaling the obtaining of new techs whenever possible. I will also give the characters new titles as well. You can find most of them on a site listed in my profile. Refer to there if you don't understand my explainations. I may explain them at the end of the chapter, but I also might not.

BTW, to those of you wondering, Ari will be fighting using just her fists. Her gauntlets will be explained this chapter.

Well, I hope I'm not being a Marysue or anything with this story. Please enjoy and leave a review!

OMG, It's December 31st!! It's 45 minutes until the FREAKING NEW YEAR!!!! (promptly faints)

**Don't own, don't sue. Flame and you die.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Triet

Okay, let's get a few things straight about my likes and dislikes.

1: I like hearing about new places, such as Sylvarant. It is sort of similar to Earth, in terms of geographical stuff. According to Raine, the world of Sylvarant has four main bodies of water: The North Sea near the Katz' Village, the Sea of Salvation to the south of the great tower, the Great Triet Ocean, and the Thoda Marine Body. We've all seen them on the map in the guide book, as well as in the game, but nothing beats seeing them first hand. I was really excited to see Izoold and Palmacosta. I was even more excited about Lake Umacy and the Tower of Mana. Books! Ah, I could spend a lifetime in a library!

And 2: I don't like people who "Rain on my parade," (pun intended). Raine, though she was very informative, was surprised by my lack of knowledge. Here's the conversation:

"Do you're parents know you're here, Ari?" Colette asked.

"I'm an orphan. No parents, just me and my friend. We're really close."

"Oh, no!" she cried as she enveloped me in a huge hug. "I had no idea! Why didn't you say something?!"

I merely shrugged. "It wasn't vital for you to know that about me," I lied. I clenched my fist and looked away, trying to make my sorrow believable. It seemed to be working with Colette, but Raine and Kratos seemed skeptical. Well, that was just great…

"Where did you say you were from again?" Raine asked.

"Luin."

"I see. I haven't been there. What's the city's main item of trade?"

I felt all the color drain from my face. Was she was suspicious of me or was I being paranoid? Looks like it was time to use my mad (questionable) rhetoric skills, and maybe some of that stuff I got from the Catherine Tate show.

"I never really payed attention to the city. I barely registered as a citizen, thank you," I mumbled.

"I was just asking you a simple question," Raine said. "There's no need to get defensive."

**~ Ariella just received the title: Oh Crap. ~**

When I realized the assumption I'd just made, I was mentally furious with myself. I had no self control. I wanted to start spilling plot secrets so badly, but bile kept rising in my throat and I nearly coughed up a lung. Maybe it was like the spells in the movie _Howl's Moving Castle_, and you can't talk about it.

I felt a small smile tug at my lips as I thought about it, and Colette began smiling too. Her smile is a plague, I tell you!

"So, Colette…," I said casually, "have you ever been anywhere outside the Iselia?"

"No. I've always lived there. It was too dangerous to take me outside it."

"Because of the Desians?"

"Yes," she said quietly, clasping her hands in front of her chest. "I needed to be protected in order to make it through this journey, and I'm still being protected." She smiled. "I have you and Kratos and Raine to protect me."

"Well, more Kratos and Raine, but I'll get stronger to protect you. But for now, consider me your good friend."

"It's strange…," Colette said. "You act as if you've always known me, and yet we met only yesterday."

"Really? I guess you're right. Would it make you feel better if we got to know each other better?"

"Definitely!" she said happily.

"You first, then."

"Well, okay. I was born in Iselia sixteen years ago. I grew up with Lloyd and Genis for friends. I live with my grandmother and my father, Frank. Well, I did. Anyway, I love dogs, and I love giving them names. It's as if I'm giving them a home, in a way. I like playing word games and learning now things, and I'm really good at reading the Angelic Language. I'm also pretty good at using spells and stuff."

"Lucky," I said with a grin. "All I can do is punch things, and I stink at doing that. I have no strength. My strength lies in strategies and planning."

"Really? I could never figure that stuff out. Genis always knew what to do. Lloyd always dives into things head first."

"He's a…a bit of an airhead, isn't he?" I said bluntly. Colette smiled warmly.

"That may be so, but he's still really cool. He's strong, and he fights monsters daily on his way to and from home every day."

"Every day? Oh yeah, he lives near the edge of the village." Wow…my memory was failing me already.

"Yeah. And he's great with tools and crafts. His dad's a dwarf, and they're famous for their craftsmanship. He's amazing!"

"Dirk, right?" I asked. "I heard about him from one of the townspeople. They said he did some really good work on something. I can't remember what, though. Did he ever make anything for you?"

"Yes," Colette replied gleefully. "He made me a wooden rocking horse for my third birthday. I was so happy that I rode it the whole day!"

"That was thoughtful of him."

"Yeah. I'm going to miss him."

"I wish I'd met him. He sounds like a fun guy! I did some beading in my spare time back home, and I…"

I trailed off, remembering the many school Christmas gatherings with my friends, and how we'd exchange a few gifts, though most of them were bought. I was usually the only one with handmade gifts. Huh…7th grade had been the year I'd met all my friends, but they'd all drifted away by high school. Several of them had gotten together and started going out, which left me with one or two friends who barely talked to me. It was…painful. And the only true friend I had (still have) live miles away from my house. I barely see her anymore.

"You what?"

"It's nothing. Just a random thought."

Colette seemed a little hurt by my silence, so I decided to maybe spill a little.

"Well, I used to have more friends, but they…got tired of me, I guess. I don't want to sound like a pity party, but that's just the feeling I got. Now, I never see them anymore."

I sighed, but I was angry at myself on the inside. Was this pity thing a disease or something? It's like, once in your system, you can't get it out no matter how hard you try. It thrives on insecurities and fears, and believe me, I've got enough insecurities and fears to share with the entire population of New York City and the surrounding towns.

Colette gave me a big hug and smiled at me, sharing her pain. She was really sweet. I wished more people on Earth were like her.

"I used to feel that way," she said quietly. "I used to think that I'd never make any friends, but look at me now! I have Lloyd and Genis! Even Raine and Kratos! And now you have all of us!"

I was about to sigh again when it dawned on me. I really did have friends now. Good friends. Well, at least Colette. I won't be actual friends with Lloyd and Genis until after Triet, when they join up. I smiled.

"Thanks, Colette. I really appreciate your kindness."

"Of course!"

**~ Colette obtained the title: Woobie ~**

A thought crossed my mind. "Colette, yesterday was your birthday, wasn't it?"

"Ah…yes, it was. Why do you ask?"

"Do you have any paper on you? Raine?"

The Professor was already sorting through her bag, producing a normal sized sheet of paper. "It this okay?"

"Yes. Thank you," I said happily as I began folding it into a square.

I ripped off the extra piece and began folding it as we walked. Every fold was careful and precise, taken from months of experience back home. I remembered every piece of origami I'd ever made, but I was by far the best at making the paper crane, as well as the spring iris and lotus. They were my favorites. Back home, they're littered around my room. I'd even used paper with different designs. Clocks, flowers, stars and space; I used every design possible in making them. And each design, I'd give them a different name, depending on their paper's design. Time Flower for the clocks, Space Flower for the space design, Dimensional Bloom for the stars design, as well as many other clichéd names I'd thought up on the spot.

Before I realized it, I was finished. The paper crane sat lightly on my hand, its wings outstretched for flight. I handed it to Colette, who stared at it in awe.

"How does it stay all folded up?" she asked, tugging on the wings gently.

"Do you like it?" I asked. She nodded vigorously.

"It's beautiful! Can you make others?"

I put my hands on my hips and stuck out my chin proudly.

"Of course I can! I am a master with paper!"

Colette burst into laughter, and I felt really warm and fuzzy on the inside. This was the feeling I longed for back home. This feeling of belonging. That was all I asked for. All I ever truly wanted.

"Ari?"

I glanced at Colette, who was staring at me curiously.

"Hmm?"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just realized all I ever wanted was a friend like you."

"Oh," she said quietly. Oh shoot, I'd just hit a rough spot. She thought she was going to sacrifice herself to Yggdrasil, and here I was trying to forge a bond of friendship with her. It must've been painful.

"Colette? Don't look so down," I said quietly.

"What?" she asked, bringing her gaze back up. "I'm not down." She was beaming.

I suddenly felt as if a boot had lodged itself in my stomach. This horrible feeling of guilt…will I be feeling this the entire journey? God, I hope not. I wanted to apologize to her, but she was fiddling with the paper crane. She looked so innocent…she _was_ so innocent. How could the world be okay with sacrificing her?

A while back, when I was still on Earth, I had been doing a little writing, and a thought had crossed my mind. Why couldn't Earth be like Sylvarant and Tethe'alla after the world was combined? It was peaceful and warless. Discrimination was being diluted, and that was good. Everything was full of peace. So why couldn't Earth be like that?

I fingered my necklace and sighed, then focused myself on watching for monsters. Protecting Colette was priority #1. I'd worry about other things later.

"So we're going to make our first stop at Triet?" I called to Raine, who was studying something in a small notebook. She snapped it shut with a nod.

"Yes. The first seal is far to the south. We'll be stopping at Triet to stock up on supplies and ask about anything that might point to the next seal."

"Okay, cool. I've only been to Triet once. Have you been there, Professor?"

"No, unfortunately, but I honestly can't wait to," she said, a small smile appearing on her face.

"How old is the city, exactly?"

"Didn't you learn about it in school?"

"No. I only had my friend, and there was no money to pay for school. I only know stuff I hear by ear and stuff I figure out on my own."

"I see," she said quietly. She began explaining everything she knew on the city and surrounding desert, and to tell you the truth, I was lost after she said the date of the initial conquering. In truth, the dates here is completely different that the calendar of Earth. On Earth it's all numbers and 365 days a year with the year 2008 and all that. But in Sylvarant, it the 16th year of the Chosen Colette, and they use the names of the previous Chosen as well. It's just a timeline of their lives, smooshed together. Chosen of Regeneration Velia, Chosen Alannia, Chosen Mattias, and on and on and on. And of course the flourishing time was simply the Time of Regeneration. It was all really weird, in my opinion.

Raine spent the next two hours talking herself to death in my ear, and the only time she stopped was when dinnertime rolled around. She offered to cook, but I asked if I could. Kratos was indifferent, and Raine was a little miffed as to my sudden outburst, but they let me work anyway. Unlike my social skills, my cooking is actually pretty good. I'd be sad when Colette lost her sense of taste.

Using my experience from two years of cooking classes, I fixed up some sandwiches. But not just any sandwiches. These babies were BLTs! My mouth watered the entire time I cooked them, and when I served them, I could've sworn I saw a flicker of a smile slip through Kratos' tough-guy mask.

"Ari, this is delicious!" Colette said gleefully.

"I must say, this is unusual. I like it," Raine said. "Did you think up the recipe?"

"No, someone else did. But when it comes to food, I do like trying out new stuff out."

"As do I," Raine said proudly, "though no one seems to understand."

"The obstacles of an artist," I said with a serious nod. On the inside, I was cracking up. There's no way Raine will ever cook anything edible.

"Wow," Colette said admiringly, "You can cook and fold paper into birds. You're so cool!"

I felt the color rush to my face, and I hid it behind my BLT.

"I'm not cool. I'm an oddball, to say the least."

"Don't say that!"

"But seriously, I am. I grew that way. I can't change it now, and I've accepted it. I'm not sad about it. But being called 'cool'…that's a definite first for me. I'm lost for words."

"That's okay," Colette said with a smile. "But you _are_ cool, Ari."

"Thanks, Colette."

"Ari, I have a question," Kratos said.

I looked at him expectantly, but my nerves were beginning to sing. Did he know about me? If he did, would he expose me? What was he going to ask me?

"Yes? What's up?"

"How long have you been fighting with your fists?"

Odd question. "Uh…about a month or two, I think."

He 'Hmmed', and that ended that. I was a little curious as to why he'd asked only that, but Raine picked up before I sould speak.

"I've been curious for a while now as well. It seems your gauntlets allow you to gather raw mana in your fists and use it as a weapon. How is that possible?"

I swallowed a bite of my sandwich and shrugged. "I don't really know. One day I just…found out I could do it. Maybe it's my Exsphere or something."

"But at the temple, you looked as if you'd never fought before," Colette said. I started picking at my sandwich, poking the tomato until it ripped.

"I…I've never fought people before…at least, not like fighting that big lummox," I half-lied.

And just like that, they accepted it...or at least they didn't ask anymore questions. I was beyond relieved, but I didn't let it show. I finished my sandwich and warmed my hands near the fire.

This reminded me of a camping trip with my mother and aunt when I was ten. I'd been really happy to go sleep outside, but I'd been scared out of my mind later that night. I was afraid I'd get eaten by a bear or some kind of rabid/starved wolf. Yes, I was a sheltered child. And look what I am now. I'm practically scared of my own shadow, in a way.

I was beginning to doze off now. Raine tossed blankets to everyone and we hunkered down for the night. Kratos, of course, took first watch, and despite the fact that I knew he was evil, I felt safe around him. Feh…it was probably the smoke fumes going to my head.

"Goodnight, everyone," I said.

"Goodnight," they chorused. I smiled and wrapped myself up, falling into one of the best sleeps I've ever had.

* * *

The Great Triet Expanse; the one place in the entire planet where you fry an egg completely _before it hits the ground_. Heat waves rolled off the huge sand dunes like tsunamis, and I felt as if my skin was on fire. Or, at least my exposed skin. Raine had insisted that we all wear capes while in the desert, so our faces and arms were safe, but our legs weren't so great. That's when I noticed it. I was the only one in shorts in our merry band of Chosen, Professor, Stoic Man, and Human. I mean, sure Genis wears shorts, but he's not here right now. Hmm…maybe I'll be able to find a pair of leg warmers in Triet. Not that I need warming, but they're a good investment for later. I can just picture myself running about Flanoir in shorts.

"Ari? Why are you laughing?" Raine asked. I just shook my head, saying it was just a funny memory. She turned back to her map, scanning it from top to bottom. I wanted to say Triet was farther west, but I kept my mouth shut and trudged up another dune.

Colette was beginning to slow down as well. I couldn't blame her, though. We'd started walking about 6am, and now it's somewhere close to noon. It had taken us two days on foot just to get to the edge of the desert. I'd be so happy once we got the Rheairds. The Rheairds. Oh jeez. I'm afraid of heights…I wonder how I'm going to fare riding one of those flying contraptions.

I felt my stomach do a flip, and I faltered, slipping in the sand. I slid all the way down the dune and landed against a large rock, where I lay for several seconds, stunned. I never…ever…wanted to do that again.

"Ari! Are you okay?!" Colette shouted down to me. I stood up and pulled my boot off, emptying it of sand.

"Yeah. I just slipped on a rock." I spat out a bit of sand, and began trudging up the dune.

"Quite a few, actually," Raine said. I grinned. She'd gotten my joke. God, do I suck at comedy...

"Triet should be just over the next dune," Kratos said, pointing west. I spat out more sand and coughed.

"Have I ever said how much I hate the desert?"

"A bunch of times!" Colette said happily. "I don't really mind it so much."

"Colette, I will never understand that," I said, finally managing to pull myself to the top of the dune. She smiled and helped me stand, and we were off again, this time in the right direction…I think.

"So how big is this desert? A couple miles?"

"It's bigger than that," Kratos said, eyeing a group of scorpions fight over a carcass of a bird thirty feet away. "It takes a day to simply get to Triet. It'll take another to get to the Ruins."

"Oh perfect," I grumbled. I distracted myself with picked the sand out of my hair and gloves as we walked on. The heat had gotten to be a little bit bearable, but the wind was beginning to pick up. I started to wonder if we'd make it to Triet by sundown. And what about Lloyd and Genis? Would they be okay in the desert by themselves? I had a really bad feeling.

* * *

Triet finally came into view about two hours later. It had been hidden by the heat waves and dunes, which is why we hadn't spotted it earlier. We quickly made our way towards it, though I was probably the most enthusiastic. I was covered in a neat layer of dust and sand, and I really wanted to wash my clothes before they started reeking of monster guts. Slipping several times in the sand didn't help much either...

You know, slaying monsters isn't really all that traumatizing. Sure, some fall on you after you kill 'em, covering you in…monster innards…but anyway, the battles go by really quickly. I've gotten quicker too. Kratos gave me some pointers, and I've really improved since Iselia. I've even picked up a few skills along the way. For instance, I can use elemental attacks now. I know Mana Flare and Mana Freeze, but that's it. All I need now are lightning, water, wind, and earth elemental attacks and I've got my basics. I love being a really low level! (That was complete sarcasm...)

I celebrated when we finally reached the city, but worries about Lloyd and Genis kept yanking my chain. The winds were picking up, and people were rushing their shopping. What was going on? This wasn't part of the plot…

"Everyone inside!" one of the citizens shouted to us. "There's a storm coming!"

"A storm?" I asked. "I guess it's not too weird for it to rain in the desert." I glanced around the area and put my hand on Raine's arm. "I can do the shopping if you're okay with it."

She looked so relieved I had to blink. She really didn't like the water, even if it wasn't on land.

"That would be great. Thank you, Ari."

"Of course. I'll see you all back at the Inn in a few minutes."

Colette was reluctant to leave me, but a nudge from Kratos got her walking towards safety.

Now, some of you may be wondering why I offered to shop for them. Well…I like the rain. Plain and simple as that. Nothing beats getting doused with a little water! Of course, Raine would've been very irritable, had she gotten wet. Probably…I dunno.

But there's another reason. I remember there being Desians (or Renegades) in the area, looking for Lloyd. They'd probably go after Colette too, so me sending her to the inn was probably the best idea right now.

I pulled out the money I'd collected from my battles and headed for the market, my gaze continuously switching from people to sky. I was anxious to get this sand off me, and I was not going to relax until I was somewhat clean. I watched the sky every spare second between restocking gels or collecting money for sold equipment. I even got around to customizing Raine a new staff.

It was almost fifteen minutes before the first drop fell, and I was only halfway finished with customizing Kratos a new shield when it splattered in my eye.

"Tch. Finally," I grumbled.

"You like the rain, girl?" the customizer asked with a grin.

I nodded. "Yeah. It's really calming. Rainshowers are nice."

"You just be careful of the lightning. It gets to be pretty messy around here afterwards."

I froze, my hand in my purse.

"L…lightning? You mean this is a _thunder_storm?"

"Yup! Should be getting some thunder soon."

Uh…I hate thunder. I'm scared to death of it. It goes with me like a shopping trip to Victoria's Secret. I just hate it!

"Well, anyway, here's your shield. Have a safe night."

I took the shield and dropped a handful of Gald into his open palm.

"You too," I said automatically, then rushed off. There was thunder on the way. I had to get to shelter before it started. There was no way I'd be caught outside in the middle of a storm.

The rain was falling now, and I barely registered a person in front of me before I crashed into them. We both fell backwards and into the sludgy sand with a splat.

"I'm so sorry!" I said as I wiped the water out of my eyes. "I couldn't see where I was going and I-"

"Ari?!"

I stopped blabbering apologies and took a good long look at who I'd bumped into.

"Lloyd! I knew you wouldn't stay behind!" I cried, getting to my feet. "We have to get inside now. A thunderstorm's on its way."

Lloyd stood up and flicked the wet sand off his sleeves. He looked a little worse for wear at the moment, but I couldn't tell all that much. The rain was getting heavier, and I swore I just heard thunder a ways away.

"Is Colette here?" he asked.

Genis peeked out from behind him. "And my sister?"

"They're both here. They're in the inn."

That's when I realized the entire city was silent, aside from some Desians near the bulletin board. "Shoot. Let's get to the stables, at least. We may be safe there."

Lloyd and Genis and Noishe followed me to the stables as quickly as they could, but they were distracted by something a few feet away. I pushed them inside the stables and shut the door behind me, securing it before joining them near the far wall. They were looking at a wanted poster tacked to one of the support beams. It had Lloyd's poorly drawn face on it.

"Wow…They've got search parties and wanted posters," Genis said. "They must really want you, Lloyd."

"Do I really look like that?" Lloyd asked incredulously.

I looked at the poster, stifled a laugh, and nodded.

"Oh, yeah, Lloyd. You really look like that!" I whistled in mock flirtation. "You're a real lady killer!"

"Shut up!" he said, embarrassed, but the message for me to do so was lost when I saw the slightly red tinge to his cheeks. He was blushing! Aw, how cute!

"So now what do we do?" Genis asked. I calmed down and shook my head.

"I don't know. I'd rather not get wet again, so let's just stay here for a bit.

"Okay," Lloyd said, taking a seat next to Noishe. "We'll sit tight for a little bit."

Genis seemed a little miffed, but he sat down and began rolling a small stone around on the ground. Lloyd got comfy and told me about what happened in Iselia, and I listened through everything. How could he be put through so much pain? It was gut wrenchingly awful. Oh no...another wave of pity. I sighed and watched the rain drip through the boards onto the sandy floor, thinking of other things, random things, and maybe training with Kratos once we were out of the Triet Ruins.

_30 minutes later..._

_..._I…am getting bored…really fast. There's nothing to do but sit here and twiddle our thumbs and wait until Mother Nature stopped throwing a fit.

Out of complete randomness, I pulled out the extra paper Raine had given me a while back and began folding again. This time I'd make a paper iris.

By the time the rain let up, I'd finished the iris, along with several other paper cranes and a lotus. I was completing my seventh crane when a Desian came stomping over to us despite the drizzling rain, and began yelling.

"You! You're the one on the wanted poster!"

I dropped my finished crane and jumped to my feet, pushing Lloyd and Genis behind me.

"Keep walking, Desian," I hissed. The Renegade laughed, then called in reinforcements to help him.

"We only want the one in red, woman. Step aside."

"Over my dead body."

"You're in hardly any position to fight, girl. We have the only way out blocked."

Gah…there was no way I'd be able to go with Lloyd to the Sylvarant Base at this rate. Looks like I'll have to use my knowledge of the game against them.

"If I may, I'd like to tell you something."

"Then speak, woman."

I stepped away from Lloyd and Genis, my mind reeling. I knew I couldn't use any names to lie, so I'd have to be as vague as possible. _Oh, please let them fall for it._

So I whispered in the Renegade's ear, "Don't make me go to THE TOP of your organization to report you and your little group. I don't think your boss' boss would want to hear about your plans here." It was a complete bluff, and I knew there was a very slim chance I'd get out of this with everything intact.

I stepped away from the Renegade just in time to his partially hidden face go completely white.

"Seize her! Kill her!!" he shouted.

"Now, if you kill me, you'll never who told me about you…," I bluffed. _Oh dear Martel, I hope they fall for it. Please! Let them fall for it!!_

"Take her with us! Take them all with us!" _Bingo._

We were quickly surrounded and bound, then led off to a bunch of Rheairds outside the city. But as I was forced onto one, I saw Colette, Raine, and Kratos watching from the gate, preparing to come after us. I panicked, then began mouthing words.

"Don't follow just yet," I mouthed, knowing Kratos could read my lips. "I'll protect Lloyd. Keep Colette safe, then follow once we're far enough away."

Then the Rheairds revved to life, and Lloyd, Genis, and I were whisked off to Sylvarant Base. And I knew, at the rate I was going, I wasn't going to be able to keep up with all my lies. Time to keep my mouth shut.

"It's probably time you slept," the Renegade flying my Rheaird said, then promptly knocked me over the head with the handle of his whip. Black bloomed over my vision, and I slumped forward, slipping into unconsciousness.

* * *

Yay, cliffhanger! But, gah, that last part sucked. I'll have to rewrite that later. Anyhoo, please leave comments and reviews.

And now I will explain the titles obtained today!

1. **Woobie**: The one character in a story that you want to wrap in a blanket and feed hot soup when their sick. The maytr, the sacrifice, or the one that makes you feel sad, yet brings a smile to your face when you're down.

2. **Oh Crap**: Everyone has one moment or another where they do something completely, utterly stupid that they just want to scream. It's that kind of moment.

Oh, snap, people! Happy FREAKING NEW YEAR!! (parties like I jsut don't care) I saw Jeff Dunham tonight, and OMG he was amazing!! YAY!! Happy New Year!!!!! Live long and prosper! XD


	4. You Made Me Lie

Hello, readers. Wing here. (sigh) I'm tired. So much stuff going on...I hate school so much. I can't wait for spring break!

So I've been going crazy lately, and I've come up with two sets of techs for Ari. There's the one inspired by Bleach, and there's the one inspired by lots of manga. I'm not sure which I should use, so comment on which you think I should do. I'll give you some examples.

_Bleach based:_

Basically, it's a list of elemental attacks taken from the Shinigami's Shi-kai and Ban-kai attacks (ie. Ice=Sode no Shirayuki (Sleeve of Snow) and so on...)

_Manga based:_

In a nutshell, the spells are taken from the manga I own, and when cast, they show the main character of that manga casting that element's spell. (ie. Kamichama Strike/Kamichama Karin/Lightning Element) It's the same for the other elements, so I won't spoil too much by giving the descriptions.

VOTE AND REVIEW!!

Anyway, here's the new chapter. Read and enjoy!

**Don't own, don't sue. Flame and you die.**

* * *

Chapter 4: Sylvarant Base

I was cold. I was cold, and lying on something stiff. Those two thoughts were my first when I woke up.

I pushed myself up and hissed through my teeth as pain shot through my head. Damn, that Renegade had really hit me hard. I needed an icepack or some Tylenol. If only they had painkillers in Sylvarant. They probably had them in Tethe'alla...

"You're finally awake."

I flinched at the sudden noise, then looked around. I was in a prison cell. With a guard standing in front of it. With Yuan. Oh…oh crap…I'd forgotten about him.

"Technically, yes. Mentally, I think you killed me." I stopped rubbing my forehead and glared at him.

Yuan simply stared back, then said, "I have reason to believe you know something about our organization, as well as something about myself."

"You? Nah, I'd remember a hot guy like you," I said, dodging the bullet. Yuan twitched at my remark, then turned to the guard.

"I thought you said she knew something," he hissed in a low voice.

The guard was flabbergasted. "I swear, sir! She threatened me by saying she'd tell-"

"Silence!" Yuan growled. He turned back to me. "You will stay here until I wish to speak to you again."

"Sheesh...someone's grumpy...," I grumbled.

Yuan ignored me, or didn't hear me, and headed off down the hallway and out of sight, the dumbfounded guard on his heels. Once he was gone, two more guards arrived and took up their positions against the wall. They chattered on about something stupid, forgetting they were supposed to be watching me.

Of course, I was thinking about other things. There had to be a way out of here...but what options did I have? Let's see...

1. There's always the sweet talk the guards into opening the door. I could use anything in my arsenal of...oh forget that...

2. Threaten them. Nah, already used that. They wouldn't believe me.

3. Use my super awesome shape-shifting ability to turn myself into a dragon, rip the bars off the cell, grab Lloyd, and fly off into the picturesque sunset. Then I'd go get hitched to Zelos...and......uh...................ugh, as if.

I'm out of ideas. Crud bucket.

I tested the walls of the cell with a knuckle. Solid steel with hardly any welding seams. Oh, they were good.

"Don't even try it, girl," one guard said. "There's no way you could rip those walls apart. You're way to puny to do anything like that." He looked at the other guard and stood up. "I have to get some sleep. You're shift's just started, right?"

"Yeah. Go on. I'll watch her," the other guard said. The first guard stood up and left, leaving me alone with just one. Perfect.

"Are you new here?" I asked, pushing myself up and off my cot. I walked to the bars and looked at him, trying to catch his eye.

"No."

Aw, crud. He was going to be a tough nut to crack.

"How long have you worked for him?"

"Who?"

"Yuan, I mean."

"He's our leader. I've worked here for almost a year."

Bimbo. Uh...I mean, bingo! Now to use my superior knowledge of the Renegades against him!

"I used to work for the Renegades," I lied, leaning against the cell bars. The guard turned to give me a disbelieving look, then laughed.

"Ha! There's no way he'd allow a human to join us!"

"Wanna bet?" I said with a grin. "Ask me a question."

The guard contemplated this, then said, "Our organization's purpose and goal."

"That's easy," I said. "It's to prevent the revival of Martel via the Chosen of Regeneration's journey..."

I paused, confused. I wasn't coughing...could I not talk to any characters that had a big part in the plot? Or was Martel being gracious enough to allow me to speak? Hell if I know, but I'm planning on taking advantage of that.

"I heard about you attacking Iselia in an attempt on the Chosen's life. Almost got her, and had Kratos not been there, you probably would've succeeded."

I tried going further and tried talking about Cruxis, but I started coughing really hard. I thought I was going to hack up a lung! I guess Martel's graciousness had worn off...

The guard was dumbfounded, nonetheless.

"H-how...how do you know that?!"

"I told you. I was once a part of the Renegades," I bluffed.

"There's no way an ordinary person could know that! But...you're human."

"So? I don't discriminate against half-elves. I hate humans. We're full of flaws, and we die far to easily." I finally managed to catch his gaze. "But I left for family reasons. My family was killed by a Desian raid, and I left to search for them. To see if they were alive."

"...did you find them?"

Sucker...I can be a real piece of work when I want to be.

I sighed, looking at the floor. "No...I think they're in one of the ranches...but I don't know which." I was cheering for myself on the inside, shouting to put the icing on the cake. "I came back to ask Yuan for a favor...to see if he could tell me which ranch they were in. But I got mixed up with that kid in red, and I got stuck in here."

"Why didn't you ask him earlier? I saw him pass by," the guard asked.

"It's a personal favor," I said quickly. "The others might think I'm soft hearted."

"I see...," the guard said.

He was silent for a minute, then pressed the button behind him. The cell beeped and the bars retreated into the ceiling, much to my unending happiness. He'd fallen for it!

I joined him out in the hallway, smiling gratefully. "Thank you for your understanding." I bowed my head.

"You're welcome."

"Has the building been remodeled in the past year? Any new security systems I should know about?"

"No. The only addition to the building is the next set of cells farther down the hall."

"Really? Great! I'm very grateful for your help, my good man," I said, clapping him on the shoulder.

**~Ari obtained the title of: Mook Face Turn~**

He smiled, but that smile disappeared as soon as my knee met his stomach and his happy place. He passed out onto the floor, and I turned to go when my conscience finally put a choke-hold on me. I grabbed the guard by his shoulders, dragged him into the open cell, and pushed him on the cot. At least he'd wake up somewhat comfortably...

I left the cell and smacked the button to close it, then took a right. The hall wasn't that long, and it was deserted. I took another right turn...

Right into a pair of guards in front of Lloyd's cell.

"Shit!" I yelled as they grabbed me.

"A prisoner had escaped!" one guard yelled. "Call security!"

"Like I'll let you get away!" I shouted.

I stomped down hard on one guard's foot, then swung that same foot up and crashed it into the other guard's happy place. Both let go in an instant, and I had them glaring at me as if I'd insulted them. I gathered ice mana in my hands and smacked them around the hall as noiselessly as possible. When I was done, they were on the floor, out cold, as well as frozen.

I blew on my fingers like one would a gun, and said one thing: "Gotcha." But I was shaking visibly, and my hands were beginning to tingle uncomfortably. I had that really lightheaded feeling you get when you're going to puke, but I forced it back and ran to Lloyd's cell, smacking the button with a loud slap. Lloyd jumped out and immediately shouted, "How did you do that?!"

Caught off guard by his forwardness, I simply said: "I dunno," then added, "My Exsphere allows me to harness raw mana or something. At least, that's what Raine and Kratos deduced on the way to Triet."

"Right then," he said, nudging a frozen guard with a booted foot, "how about we get out of here?"

"Brilliant idea," I said sarcastically. I pointed to a pile of stuff on the nearby desk. "That's yours."

Lloyd sprinted to his stuff and put it back on faster than you could say Symphonia, and we were off down the hallway I'd come down before the guards began unthawing. I strained to remember the way, but I couldn't do it. This part of the game I'd always have to look up, because of those stupid puzzles and unending corridors. They would always confuse me with grabbing every treasure in the building. Unfortunately, there are no treasure chests in this base, so I was pretty much stuck.

"The prisoners are loose!"

"Shit!" I cursed, glaring at another pair of guards heading away from us, down the hallway to the right. "Mana Flare!"

A stream of fire shot out from my hand at the soldiers, but they ducked it and turned a corner. I cursed again and dragged Lloyd down the opposite corridor.

"Come on, Lloyd!" I growled. "We have to find a way out. They'll seal off all the exits if they set off the-"

There was a loud beeping sound, and a mechanical voice issued a warning for all personnel.

"-alarm…," I finished glumly. A loud clanking sound followed the announcement, signaling the sealing of every entrance. "Well, this stinks. Let's go find some kind of hiding place. Maybe if they think we already got out, they'll take the security down a notch."

Lloyd didn't even complain. He followed close behind until we finally made it to the room with the Sorcerer's Ring device. I grinned. Maybe we could still make it!

"Lloyd, you still have the Sorcerer's Ring, right?"

"Uh…I gave that to Genis before we got to Triet…"

"..."

I swear, the room got so quiet, you could hear a pin drop all the way in Hima. I turned slowly to Lloyd, holding back the huge urge to strangle him right there.

"You…_what_?" I hissed.

"I gave it back to Genis…was that a bad idea?"

I inhaled deeply and pinched the bridge of my nose. "No, it's okay, Lloyd. We'll figure something out…eventually."

There was a clicking noise near the other door, and two soldiers came in, talking to each other. I grabbed Lloyd and dove into the small alcove near the big…thing in the center of the room. I forced him into a corner and covered his mouth, hissing, "If you make one sound, I'll bite your head off."

He twitched his head in a frightened nod, but put a hand on my arm and pushed my hand away. That's when I saw it again. My hands were shaking like a vibrating cell phone. I was really scared, but I was too high on adrenaline to feel it.

I ignored it and strained to hear the soldiers' conversation.

"…so we just electrocute those robots over the blue pads, and it unlocks, right?"

"Yeah. It's pretty tedious if you ask me. Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it. Lord Botta likes to do things the hard way."

"Right. Let's go look for the kid in red and his girlfriend."

There were two buzzing noises, and then the locked door opened, allowing the soldiers to leave. When the doors were shut, I stood up with a frown on my face.

"Girlfriend?! Never!" I shouted, stomping around the area. People back home knew better than to wave their boyfriends in my face. I'm not a very big fan of love…no one's ever asked me out. I hate it when people 'eat face' in the back of the school hallways, too.

"Red, red, red! Does my outfit stand out that much?"

"You bet," I said with a groan. "Great…we need electricity to shock the robots." I sighed again, fingering my necklace. "If only we had the Sorcerer's Ring…"

"So what now?" Lloyd asked. "If we can't shock them, do we wait for someone else to come by?"

"No. That could take hours, and I'm getting hungry." I bit my lip in anger, then stalked up to one of the robots and punched it so hard it flew back several feet.

"Stupid robots!"

**~Ari has leveled up! Ari has just learned: Mana Bolt~**

I blinked, staring at my fists out of sheer disbelief. That's right…the robots give you experience if you fight them…

"Ari? Are you okay?" Lloyd asked. "You look almost hysterical."

"Lloyd," I whispered. "I think I just learned our ticket out of here." I walked over to the other robot, waited until it was over the blue pad, and smacked it with Mana Bolt. It began short circuiting.

"It worked!" Lloyd shouted, giving a whoop of joy. I held up my knuckles for a knuckle crunch, but he stared at me curiously. "What?"

"Oh for the love of…tap your knuckles against mine, Lloyd. It's a way of saying 'Victory'."

"Oh!" He tapped his knuckles against mine, albeit it was a little weak, and pointed to the other robot. "Get that one too. That should open the door." I nodded and stood in front of the blue mat, waiting for the robot to come towards me. It was really slow for something that floated.

When it was finally over the mat, I zapped it, and the door opened. I punched the air and dragged Lloyd into the next corridor by her shirt collar.

Let see…if I remember correctly, the Rheaird Hangar was the first right. Might as well check it out.

"Lloyd, this way," I said quietly, eyeing the other end of the corridor warily. Lloyd ducked past me and down the hangar, and I followed silently behind. The inside was huge! You could fit my apartment in here twelve times over! It was enormous! Lloyd was in awe of the technology, but I fit in well here. I liked technology.

I grinned and headed for the computer while Lloyd purchased some supplies from the vending machine. I brought up the mainframe screen, cursing when I saw the red flashing letters **LOCKDOWN MODE** blinking on the screen. I tried typing in several things, but all I got was a sign that said CLASSIFIED. The only things that weren't classified, strangely, were the details on the Rheairds. I brought that up and grinned. Yuan was stupid enough to make the password the most obvious thing ever: **MARTEL**.

"Ready, Ari?" Lloyd called from the door. I nodded and closed the screens out, then joined him. "What were you looking at? You seemed really happy about something."

"It's nothing. I didn't understand a word on that thing," I lied with a grin. Lloyd snorted and opened the next door. We stepped into another really big room, but this one was one of the most memorable rooms in the game; the room…with a Gamecube! I guess you could say I'm happy. But I pushed the happiness away and headed for the small keyboard near the base of the Gamecube.

"Let's see," I mumbled, scanning the page for instructions. They were pretty simple. Shoot the columns and rotate the rings to get to the next room. "Hey, Lloyd."

"Yeah?"

"Read this set of instructions to me. I'll shoot the columns.

"Okay," he said. He took my place and skimmed the lines, then began.

"180 degrees is first."

"Got it," I said, shooting the top column. The rings under the Gamecube spun around. "Next?"

"45 degrees. The blue gem should be facing north and the red south."

"Got it."

"Next is 45 degrees."

"Yeah."

"180 degrees, and finally 90 degrees."

"Done," I said, shooting the last column. The rings spun around one last time, and the north door finally unlocked.

"Finally! I can't wait to get out of here!" I said happily after (reluctantly) eating an orange gel. For some reason, oranges just don't sit well with me. They taste funny.

"I know! It feels like ages since we've been outside. I wonder if it's still raining…"

"Maybe. But seriously, I hope not."

"Me too. That wasn't fun to walk in."

We went through the north door and continued on our merry way…until a bunch of soldiers spotted us.

"There they are!" one shouted, unsheathing his sword. "Get them!"

"Not again! This way, Lloyd!" I cried, pulling him down the left corridor and into the nearest door. We shut it just in time, too. No one came in after us. The guards must've gone in a different direction.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief and leaned on the doorframe.

"Phew, that was close," Lloyd said.

I nodded, took tired to speak. We were free.

"And just who the hell are you?"

Both of us whipped around to see Yuan glaring at us, gathering a small mass of lightning mana in his hand. His gaze bore holes through us, but we stood tall and proud.

"Give me your name and I'll give you mine," Lloyd said. I slapped a hand to my forehead and stifled a laugh.

"Lloyd…why?"

"It's cool to say!" he said defensively. I shook my head and looked at Yuan.

"Hello again. I'm sure we could sort this all out if we just talked things over…"

"Silence."

"Oh, hell no!" I said, throwing a punch at him. He stepped back, but kept gathering energy in his hand. I put up my hands in a guard position, only to see Yuan staring at Lloyd. I glanced at him and glimpsed his Exsphere for the first time. It was a beautiful ruby color, almost a bloody red, and it glimmered like mine. How had I not noticed it before? I love red stuff.

"That Exsphere! You're Lloyd?" Yuan asked.

"And if I am?"

Yuan got really close to Lloyd, studying him like a scientist would study a sample of a new disease. It was definitely odd watching.

"Huh...I see the resemblance," he said.

I stalked up to him and pushed him, glaring.

"Back off," I hissed. Yuan was taken aback by my action, but began studying me.

"You're the one who threatened us."

"And you guys fell for it," I said with a grin.

Yuan frowned and readied a blast of mana for me and I readied my own when Botta ran in.

"Sir, we've received reports that the Chosen's group has infiltrated the facility!"

Lloyd looked as if he was having a hard time controlling himself. "You're the Desian that attacked Iselia!" he shouted.

Botta took a good look at Lloyd and said with a laugh, "So you're Lloyd! Ha! This is amusing!"

Yuan headed for the other door, saying, "Botta, change in plans. I'm leaving for now. Our plans will be ruined if he sees me."

"And what of the Chosen?" Botta asked.

"I'll leave that to you," Yuan said simply. Botta grinned.

"Understood."

"Lloyd," Yuan said. "The next time we meet, you're mine."

And Yuan was gone, leaving me and Lloyd alone with Big Man Botta. Lloyd looked confused, and I was forcing back a multitude of insults that would make even Zelos cringe. Oh, thank you Comedy Central! I love cable TV!

"Ugh," Lloyd groaned, "I am so sick of running around…but relaxation can wait. You will pay for attacking Iselia!"

"You won't defeat me, little boy."

"Little boy?" I repeated. Was that the best he could do? I didn't voice my thought for fear I might be decapitate. Botta may have been a little shorter than Yuan, but he was buffer and he was wielding a huge sword about the size of Genis. I was tempted to run screaming from the room, but that definitely wouldn't look good.

So I stayed put until Colette and the others came in. I was glad to see Genis with them, since I'd half expected the Renegades to grab him too. That would've sucked…a lot.

"Genis! Are you okay?" I asked.

Genis nodded. "They let me go once I turned on the waterworks."

"I owe you one, kid. You're braver than you look!" I knew they'd let him go because he's a half elf, but I'm not supposed to know that, now am I?

He seemed to swell with pride, but Botta attacked before any of us could talk. He swung his sword deftly and with deadly accuracy. All I could do was take out the underlings. There was no way I could get close to Botta with him locking blades with Kratos.

So I did what I could. I kicked the underlings' butts, I protected Colette and Genis while they did some spell-casting, and hung back to watch Lloyd and Kratos kick Botta's butt to kingdom come.

The battle lasted less than ten minutes, to my surprise. We were getting to be really strong, and I didn't want to get cocky or anything, but…

"We rule!" I shouted, punching the air.

Lloyd sheathed his swords and held up his knuckles. I grinned and smacked mine against his.

"You remembered! I'm so happy!"

"I underestimated your abilities." I turned to see Botta drop his sword and head for the room Yuan had disappeared into, only to glimpse a teleport pad of some kind.

"What the…?" I mumbled as I followed him. Kratos grabbed my arm.

"We have other things to worry about, Ari. Let him go."

"But…," I mumbled, glancing at the door. "There's something back there."

"Later, Ari," he said firmly. I glared at him and yanked my arm away, and joined the group despite my curiosity. I wanted to know what I saw back there…

"Isn't this a…"

Everyone's attention was directed to the Professor, who was holding Botta's damaged sword.

"Professor!" Lloyd cried.

"Oh, Lloyd. Genis told me what happened." She glanced at Genis, then back to Lloyd. "I'm sorry for the trouble he's caused you."

"No, I dragged Genis into it. It's my fault."

"Save the chitchat for later," Kratos barked. "We shouldn't stay here long."

"Right. Let's go back to Triet. I've opened the escape route," Raine said.

Everyone filed out of the room quickly, Kratos bringing up the rear, and followed Raine to the nearest exit three corridors down. The enemies were greater in number now, but they weren't anything we couldn't handle. Just a bunch of small fry.

Once we were safely outside, I cheered.

"Freedom! Sunlight! I'm not in prison anymore!"

Lloyd cheered with me, and Colette and Genis joined in for no reason. I guess we were all friends now.

"Ari," Raine said. "We need to talk."

I stopped cheering and looked back at her. "About what?"

She pulled me away from the group and walked ahead, keeping her voice down.

"Did you know this was going to happen?"

"W-what? You mean Lloyd, or being captured?"

"Both."

"Only Lloyd," I said, trying to keep myself from sounding fake. "He didn't seem like the type of guy to just stay behind and do nothing. He's obviously got a huge crush on Colette. But I had no idea he's show up so soon."

"That may be so, but did you know about the Desians?"

"I saw them in town. That's why I told you to go to the inn while I stocked up on stuff. Meeting Lloyd was a coincidence."

Raine sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "It just doesn't seem possible that this was all by pure chance. It's almost as if it were planned…"

"But who would plan something like this?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

Raine simply shook her head and said, "I wish I knew."

She walked back to the group, and I quietly let out a huge sigh. Holy cow, she'd come so close to figuring me out. If this was going to happen every time I try and get the plot back on course, I'll go insane! She's entirely too smart. I sighed again. This is going to be a really loooooong journey…

* * *

Oh, snap! I was almost discovered! Review if you liked it! I had fun writing out the breaking-out-of-the-cell part.

Here's the title definition:

Mook Face Turn: When you find yourself in a tight situation, or end up in jail, do the most obvious thing you can think of: _Talk To the Guard_. Seriously. That's the quickest way to get out of any situation. If you can get them to let you out, you've just performed a Mook Face Turn.

VOTE ON THE TECHS, PLEASE!


	5. Burn Baby Burn

Good evening, readers. I am happy to say that I've been working on this chapter for a month now, and I'd say it's a lot better than it had been on Day 1. I've managed to have some fun with the Triet Ruins, so the layout/puzzle is different. That's right! No lighting torches! I thought this one might be a bit more fun, and it fit better with my ideas.

So yeah, Triet and the Triet Ruins are covered in this chapter, and I hope you continue to enjoy my story. I've put my all into this, so please review! They are much appreciated!

BTW: The choice between my using the Bleach Techs or Manga Techs is now a poll. Please vote. As of now, I believe the vote is Bleach:2 and Manga:1. Please help me decide!

**Don't own, don't sue. Flame and you die.**

* * *

Chapter 5: Burn Baby Burn

We headed for Triet as double speed, trying to make it to the city by sundown, before the desert monsters start going crazy with hunger. Raine had warned us that the monsters in the desert grow increasingly daring at night, when they're less likely to be spotted. That had freaked me out, so I was sticking close to the group.

Triet was quiet when we got there. Very few people were out, and even fewer shops were still open. I've never actually thought about the shops of the game. Apparently they have closing times. Who'd have guessed? We did some quick stocking up, and I managed to get the customizer to make me a pair of thin leg warmers that covered my skin from the knees down. Thank goodness…

I groaned quietly and followed everyone as we finally headed to the inn, trying to calm myself down. I'd taken a less-than-helpful nap at the Sylvarant Base, thanks to that Renegade who had knocked me out, and I was no longer tired. In fact, I felt as if someone had given me a jumpstart.

"Ari, you look…awake," Lloyd said.

"I feel like it, Lloyd. I need calm down, or I might crash later and fall asleep standing or something."

"I've done that," he said with a laugh. I smiled, remembering the beginning of the game. He'd had an eraser thrown at him…or was it a piece of chalk? I was too wired to think.

As he, Colette, and Genis laughed over past fun, I headed up to the room Raine had designated as mine and Colette's room. She and Genis would room together, being siblings, and Lloyd and Kratos would share the next room. Now that I was a little skeptical about, but I made no fuss. So I ignored it and took a quick bath in a small closet. You know, I never realized how much I missed hot water until now…

We ate dinner together in Raine and Genis' room, settling on the recently learned Cabbage Roll recipe. Genis, of course, was the chef, and I must say that if he were to come with me to Earth, he'd rival Chef Ramsey and the entire Iron Chef America team! This kid's a freaking genius!

"Genis, you've got some amazing skills!" I said after taking a bite out of my second roll. "Your cooking is incredible! I've never tasted anything like this!" I wolfed down the last of it and sighed contently. "Pure bliss. And I never really liked cabbage."

He passed Lloyd yet another roll (I think it was his fifth) and grinned. "I've had a lot of time to sharpen my skills, so I guess I've improved a lot since my first try. Of course, I haven't been able to practice much for the past few weeks, so I'm a little rusty."

"Rusty?!" I cried. "This is 'rusty'?! No freaking way!"

"Genis is the best cook ever," Lloyd said proudly, clapping his buddy on the back, "but nothing compares to my dad's Dwarven Potluck Surprise!"

I gave him a confused look. "Dwarven what?" There had been a few mentions of this elusive dish, but I'd missed the skit where it had been the topic.

"It's a big meal that contains several different dishes. It may sound odd, but it's delicious!" Colette said. I grinned.

"Sounds like fun. I'd like to try it sometime, if possible."

"Definitely. Once this journey's over, we'll all go to my house and have it made in celebration of the regeneration!" Lloyd said. I saw a flicker of pain in his eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. I was glad we could bypass Iselia to get to his house. Maybe we could visit once we returned from Tethe'alla.

"I think it's time we went to bed," Raine said after the last of the rolls had been consumed.

Of course, being Mr. Enigmatic/Stoic Man, Kratos immediately got up and left the room, probably heading to his and Lloyd's room. I helped clean up the mess, then headed out after him. There was no way he was getting the chance to contact Yggdrasil. There had to be something I could do to keep him busy. But there was another reason why I was chasing him, but it's extremely embarrassing.

I walked outside up the steps, scanning the main square but finding no trace of him. Did he fly away or something? Urgh, he was a slippery bas-

"Looking for something?"

I gave a short scream and twisted around. Kratos was leaning against the wall next to me, hidden in the shadow cast by the moonlight.

"Kratos! Don't scare me like that!"

"You should be more careful," he said simply, turning away.

I swear, if I had laser vision, he'd have been toast the moment he showed up in the storyline. I bit the inside of my cheek and stomped after him, taking a hold of one of his outfit's 'tails' before he got too far away.

"I want you to train me!" I blurted out.

Kratos just blinked. I suddenly felt extremely stupid. I was asking for the help of the enemy's subordinate. He was my enemy right now. I couldn't trust him…could I?

"Fine."

It took me several seconds to register the fact he'd even spoken.

"Wait…what?"

"Yes. If you can keep up with me, then fine," he said, walking away. "Follow me."

I didn't feel any hostility emanating from him, but I was still nervous. He'd know for sure that I didn't know a lot about hand-to-hand combat, and then he'd expose me for the liar I was. Or was I just being paranoid?

"Are you coming?" he called from farther ahead.

I nodded mutely and jogged after him, adjusting my gloves as I went. I felt my guts turn to mush. Kratos was going to wipe the floor with me. Er…desert? Oh whatever…I suddenly heard the song Dani California going through my head. _California, rest in peace_…oh, I was in for it.

When we were on decently hard-packed ground, Kratos turned to face me and folded his arms over his chest.

"I'm assuming that you have no real training when it comes to physical combat, weapon or no weapon?" he guessed.

"I know some self defense, but nothing really big. But I have really good balance!" I said, trying not to sound like a total noob.

"I'll be the judge of that."

He brought up his fists and twitched his head in a nod, signaling me to do the same. I copied him and watched him carefully. He was as still as a statue for the longest time, then he moved in a flash, standing twenty feet away one second and then two feet away then next. I had barely enough time to react when his fist connected with my shoulder, forcing me back several feet. I dug my heels into the ground to stop, clutching my shoulder with my good hand.

"You're reaction time is average, but your defense is less than adequate."

"Well, what do you suggest, then?" I said with a growl as I swung my arm back into working order. He'd almost dislocated it. A normal person would've said he hadn't been holding back, but if he'd gone all out on me, I'd be missing an arm and I'd probably be several miles away in the Ossa Trail, unconscious and/or dying.

"I suggest we work on increasing your strength for now. First, try punching this tree here." He motioned towards a withered tree to his right. What was a tree doing in the desert? Oh well. Don't question Martel, I guess.

I gathered mana in my fists and pulled back to strike when he stopped me.

"No," he said, placing a hand on my arm. "Don't simply fill your hand with power. You waste mana that way."

"Then what do I do?" I asked as I relaxed my body. "That's how I attack."

"I guess we'll have to work on your control of mana, first." He looked me in the eyes, locking our gazes together. "Tell me what you know about mana."

I took several deep breaths, trying to recall all the things I'd read on Wikipedia, as well as in-game info.

"Well, mana is the thing that resides in all things, be it human, elf, half-elf, dwarf, or monster. It's the source of all life, and nothing can live without it. Magic can't be used without it, and everything relies on it. That's why the Chosen goes on the journey of regeneration."

"Good. Now, your fighting style is based on a style used long ago in the Kharlan War. Warriors on the front line would keep the enemy busy while the spell casters used large amounts of magic to take out the other enemy ranks," he explained. "As history states, the reason the Giant Kharlan Tree withered because of the enormous amounts of mana being used. That happened a long time ago, and your fighting style was refined to the point of near perfection at that time."

"So you know how to do it right?" I asked, my hopes rising.

He shook his head. "No. Not completely. I only know the information. Since I am human, I have no way to control enough mana. Elves and half-elves have control over enough mana to perform this style."

I frowned, looking at my Exsphere. "Wait…so that makes me at least part elf?"

"Did you ever know your parents? One of them may have been an elf."

"Is it possible one of them was a half elf?"

"Possibly."

"Oh…so I'm most likely a…half elf?" I asked.

"More or less. There's no way to tell. Usually, your ears would be pointed, or you'd be several hundred years old."

I ran my fingers over my ears, checking for any sign of elven blood, and sighed. Nothing. Not even a slight point.

"So much for that idea…"

"In any case, you have the ability to control a small amount of mana and harness it to your will. You've learned three of the eight basic elements, but learning all eight is still not enough."

"It's not?"

"No. You lack strength as well as control. You can't afford to waste any mana," he said. "We'll work on the density of the mana you gather, and then we'll work on strength."

I flexed my fingers, ready to get to work.

"Let's go," I said. "I'm ready."

"Hold out your hands and gather the usual amount of mana you use."

I did just that, several times for the next few hours. Kratos was never satisfied, and I mean NEVER. He kept telling me to use less mana, but when I did, he'd turn around and tell me to use more. And when I finally got it right, he told me to do it again. My hands burned under my gloves, and I was just about ready to scream when he told me to stop.

"That's enough for tonight," he said, heading back towards Triet. I released the mana in my hand with a sigh, feeling the burning from before at full force.

"Why the heck do my hands hurt so much?" I asked when we were within sight of the inn. I pulled off my gloves and looked at my skin. It was tinged blue and really raw, as if the topmost layer of skin had been burned off. It stung to touch, too.

"It's from your lack of practice. You haven't been using the proper amount of concentrated mana, so your skin was left unaffected."

"So this will go on until I've gotten better at using the right concentration?"

"In theory, yes. You and I will practice every night until the Chosen's journey is complete."

I nodded, but on the inside, I was screaming like a maniac. I have to stay awake with Kratos for four hours every night from now one?! Oh dear Martel, let me get through this without losing a limb…or my pride. But limbs first, of course.

I headed up to my room and crept inside, trying to be as sneaky as possible. But Colette was sitting up in her bed, looking out the window. She looked tired, but her expression brightened when I came in.

"There you are, Ari. I was worried about you."

She smiled, but then it disappeared.

"What happened to your hands?"

"Nothing," I said quickly, pulling my gloves on behind my back. I instantly regretted it. Both of my arms were instantly burning, and I bit my lip to keep from crying. Colette rushed to my side and helped me onto the closest bed and rushed out of the room, returning moments later with a sleepy Raine on her trail.

"Professor, something's happened to Ari's hands!"

"Ari, let me see," Raine said, holding her hand out. I pulled off my glove as painlessly as possible and allowed Raine to assess the damage.

"It's okay, guys. It's just raw from training," I said, managing to force half a smile.

"Is that what you were doing with Kratos?" Colette asked. "I thought you didn't like him."

"I don't, but he's the only one who knows a little hand-to-hand combat. I need to get stronger."

"I admire your determination, Ari, but injuring yourself for the sake of getting stronger isn't worth it," Raine said as she cast First Aid. "It would all be in vain if you were to push yourself too far."

"I know," I said quietly, "but I have to protect Colette, just like you and the others."

"We're not forcing you to come along," Raine said, finishing her spell. I turned my hands over, seeing healed skin, but still feeling the burn.

"I'm here by choice, Raine," I said simply. "Colette is one of the few true friends I've ever had. I'm going to protect her, all the way through the journey. There's no way you're shaking me."

Raine sighed and headed for the door, saying, "I'm glad you're so sure of the future. I wish we all were."

"But where's the fun in that?" I asked. "Not everything's set in stone."

"You talk as if you know the future yourself," she said. I forced back a laugh, but I felt like smacking myself for being so loose with my words.

"Not a chance," I said. "No one ever knows the future."

Raine nodded and left the room, leaving me with Colette. I smiled at her and headed for my bed, yawning as I went. My fatigue came crashing down on me, and I was barely able to say goodnight before I crawled under the covers and fell sound asleep.

* * *

You know what? I'd rather sit comfortably in Sylvarant Base than be out in the middle of the freaking DESERT again! It is _way_ too hot, even for me, who survived the worst part of summer _without_ air-conditioning! That was just before I moved into my apartment with my mom, so I was really happy to finally be cool again.

But no. I'm stuck out here, in the middle of the desert, with Lloyd, Genis, Colette, Raine and Kratos! Lloyd and Genis won't shut up about being hot, Colette is being…well, she's being Colette, Raine is going crazy over the fact that she can't see the ruins yet, and Kratos is being his usual stoic self. I was the moody one.

As soon as we left, I'd stripped off my vest and stuffed it into Raine's pack. It was a nice addition to my outfit, but it was impractical. More than two layers in the desert? And one layer being black? Not fun. Definitely not!

Then, as if I'd started a trend, the others had ditched their top layer of clothes. Lloyd was walking around in his black muscle shirt (it kinda looked like a muscle shirt), Genis was in a dark grey shirt that had half-sleeves, and Raine had slung her orange cloak over one arm and wore a long sleeve white shirt. But Colette and Kratos didn't change. They just kept on walking in their long sleeved clothes. I just can't understand that…I mean, sure, Colette's wearing white, but Kratos is wearing purple! Dark colors absorb heat! Oh, whatever. Let him get heat stroke…

So here I am, walking in the desert with Lloyd's group, and I'm going nuts with the heat.

"Are we there yet?" Lloyd asked.

I grimaced and shook my head.

"No, I don't think we are, Lloyd. Tell me this…do you see anything around here that even remotely resembles any kind of ruin?" I guess I'm a little bit irritable right now.

"There it is!" Genis shouted, pointing in the direction we were headed.

I squinted into the heat waves, managing to pick out several large rocks in the near distance.

"Are you sure?" Colette asked, shielding her eyes to the sun. "It just looks like a pile of rocks. Raine, what do you think?"

I looked over at the professor, but the woman was gone, already running like a maniac towards the rocks. I sighed and jogged after her with the group on my heels. This was probably going to become a regular thing on this journey…

Once we caught up with the professor, we found her stroking the polycarbonate with such passion that I had to stifled several laughs just to keep my last shred of composure.

"Is she always like this?" Lloyd asked.

Genis merely shrugged, saying, "And I've been trying to hide it for so long…"

"That's quite the feat, Genis," I said with a nod. "It takes a lot of skill to hide…this side of her."

Genis grinned as Raine came up to me and smacked me over the head with a loud slap.

"Yeouch!" I cried, nursing the new bruise. "What was that for?!"

"There's nothing wrong with having a passion for artifacts from eras passed," she said with a glare.

"I never knocked it," I grumbled, folding my arms over my chest.

Raine went back to her study with a huff and began babbling incomprehensibly for several minutes until she finally stood up and pointed to the oracle stone, instructing Colette to place her hand on it.

When Colette did, her Cruxis Crystal flashed and the polycarbonate rolled back, revealing the stairs heading down into the ruins.

"Wow!" she cried in surprise. "I guess I really am the Chosen!"

"I think we know that already," Genis said, rolling his eyes.

Colette giggled and turned to head down the stairs, but a fireball flew out of nowhere and singed the ground inches in front of her. I faced the fireball's source, placing it as a Fire Element. In fact, several Fire Elements.

"Great. Just what we need. More heat," I groaned, pulling in whatever shreds of ice mana I could gather. It was rather hard, seeing as we were so close to the Fire Seal.

Pale blue mana formed over my hands in a paper-thin coat, but one hit to the elemental showed it had more power than it seemed. My knuckles left a frosty print on the outer shell, as well as a few cracks, and that made it easy for Lloyd to take it out.

As soon as the battle was over, Kratos stepped in and began asking Lloyd about defense. Of course, Lloyd knew nothing about defensive techs, so Kratos taught him Guardian. The others learned their own techs, and I ended up learning Mana Barrier. Will I ever learn something without the word Mana in it?

"So this will improve our defense?" Lloyd asked.

"If utilized correctly, yes," Kratos said.

"And so another tech is added to my deadly arsenal of techs," I said with a sigh. "So can we head into the ruins now? I'd like to explore a little."

"Wonderful idea, Ari!" Raine said with a maniacal grin. I shuddered.

"Um…how often do you think this is going to happen?" I asked the others. They shrugged, shaking their heads.

"I hope it doesn't happen too much," Lloyd muttered. "This side of her scares me."

"Well said, Lloyd," I said. "Glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks so."

"But I do hope we get to see more ruins. They're so cool," Genis said.

"It's more than likely," Kratos said.

"I just hope this side of Raine doesn't become a regular thing," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

And with that, I turned and hopped down the steps into the depths of the ruins. They crumbled constantly under my weight, but nothing that signaled their collapse. They were solid like cement, and the rocks were smooth and dusty with disuse. And it smelled like the inside of a hot, rusty oven, to boot.

"It smells as if no one's been down here in years!" I grumbled, waving my hand in front of my face. "It needs some spring cleaning or something…"

"Agreed," Lloyd said.

"No! If we try to disturb the ruins, we might damage something!" Raine cried from farther ahead. I sighed and continued my exploring.

As we got farther into the ruins, a strange sensation surrounded me. It was like I knew this place. I felt at peace and filled with renewing energy. IT was like floating in warmth, or being hugged by someone you love. It was so weirdly comforting that I barely realized Genis was poking me in the side.

"Huh? What's up, Genis?" I asked, tearing myself away from the wonderful feeling.

"You feel it too?" he asked. "That strange mana?"

"That's mana? Wow…I like it," I said with a smile.

"What mana?" Lloyd asked, coming up on my other side. "I can't feel anything besides this unbearable heat…"

"Elves are more attuned to mana than humans, Lloyd," Genis said. "We learned that in school, remember?"

"O-oh yeah…I knew that."

"I didn't," I said. "That's really cool, Genis. So that makes me part elf?"

"Could be, though you don't really look like one. No pointed ears or anything."

"But couldn't that make me a half-elf?"

"Possibly, but unlikely," he said with a shrug. "My sister and I are elves, so we'd probably be able to tell if you were a half-elf."

"I see," I said quietly, returning my gaze to the ruin walls.

You probably know what I'm thinking. I want to be…something other than human. I just don't feel like I belong with them; like I should be someone like Max from the Maximum Ride books, or Daisuke from DNAngel, or even something as small as being like Rukia from Bleach. I guess you could say I just want to have some kind of supernatural power, but it feels deeper than that. Maybe I just want the excitement…

"So now what?" Lloyd asked. "It's a dead end."

I took a good, long look around the room and groaned. Sure there was the large outline of a door on the other side, but it was the middle of the room that made me want to scream. It was like that one scene out of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. You know, that one room where he had to spell out that name on the floor tiles. Oi! Don't scoff at me! I just don't remember it!

Anyway, it looked just like that, but it had strips of solid rock between each row of letters. Plus, instead of having a book to guide me like Indiana Jones, I was stuck with nothing.

"This sucks!" I muttered, kicking a small stone over the tiles.

"Don't try to step on it!" Raine shouted. "You'll damage it!"

"Do you know how to get across this, then?" I asked.

"Who…is…my…opposite?" Colette said randomly.

"What, Colette?" Lloyd seemed a little lost.

"What's that mean?" Genis asked.

Colette pointed to the arch above the opposite door. There was an inscription above it in angelic. "It says, 'Who is my opposite?' Do any of you know what it means?"

I stared at the carvings, completely dumbfounded. Riddles…oh my goddess, they were giving us riddles. I thought the only riddles were in the Balucruf Mausoleum! Urgh…gotta think, gotta think…oh, come on! There's gotta be something!

Then it hit me like a bag of bricks.

"Omigod, I do!" I shouted, raising my hand.

"Do explain, Ari," Raine said.

"Okay, well, you said the gate to Efreet resided here, right?"

"I'm sure I've mentioned it a few times."

"Well, he represents and reigns over fire, so what's the opposite of fire?"

"Water!" Lloyd said with a cocky grin.

"Wrong, Lloyd," Genis said. "It's ice."

"Right! So who's the Summon Spirit of Ice?" I asked, grinning.

The room was silent, and I felt as if I'd just crossed some unseen line. Did anyone, aside from Kratos, know about the other Summon Spirits?

"I'm not really sure if I'm right on this, though," I said quickly. "It's just a guess…"

"A good one, but is there a Summon Spirit of Ice?" Genis asked.

_Dear Martel, let them fall for another lie._

"My friend in Luin," I began. "She said she read it in a book when she'd been traveling before she'd gotten sick. She'd said something about it being from the Tower of Mana, but she wouldn't elaborate. Anyway, she'd told me there'd once been a Summon Sprit opposing each other. Fire vs. Ice, for example. But someone had stolen her book before she'd gotten the chance to read any further."

"Did she by any chance give you a name?" Genis asked.

I nodded, heading towards the tiles.

"She said it was Celsius. Raine, would you permit me to try this out?"

"We don't have many other options. Go ahead."

I nodded gratefully and headed for the tiles, only to stop.

"Can someone help me? I can't read Angelic."

"Oh, right," Raine said. "Let me help."

"Thanks. Point me towards the letter C."

She looked over the stones intently, then pointed to the one in the middle of the row.

"It figures," I mumbled, tapping the tile several times before putting my full weight on it. It felt really unstable, but nothing happened.

"I got it right. Where's the E?"

"Two tiles to your left," Raine said as she led Genis across the first tile. I walked carefully over to the next one and tapped it with my foot before stepping on it. Again, it trembled, but didn't break.

"Okay, we're good here. Where's the L?"

"The tile farthest to the right."

I waited until Raine was across the tile before heading to the next one, and we did basically everything just like that. And the pattern in the stones was becoming apparent. No solid tile was in the same column as another.

"I'd say the last tile is right here," I said, placing my foot on the tile to the left of the middle one. I saw Raine nod, but when I put my weight on the tile, it snapped in two pieces with a resounding crack. The slabs of rock fell into the darkness below me, but strangely, I wasn't falling with them, though my stomach was. It thought I was going to die.

That's when I realized both Kratos and Lloyd were gripping my arms tightly, keeping me from falling.

"Th-thanks, g-g-guys," I stammered as they hauled me back onto the solid platform. Lloyd was wheezing, sweat beading on his forehead. Kratos, on the other hand, was in perfect order. Not a spike of hair out of place.

I was about to say thanks again when Lloyd opened his big mouth.

"You're…heavier than you look," he gasped out.

I froze, my mouth still open to speak. No one…no one had ever…ever said something like that to me before. Never. I guess you could say I'm…a little put out right now. If fact…I'm really angry.

"Raine, which tile is the next one?" Colette asked abruptly, trying to ease the tension I was creating. Raine obviously got the message and pointed to the tile to my right, and we all piled across it, eager to get to safe ground.

"Phew!" Lloyd said. "We're finally safe! That was a good idea with the tiles, Ari."

I ignored him and opened the big door, gathering ice mana in my hands as I went.

"Let's get this over with," I mumbled.

Everyone nodded and followed me, and I couldn't help but let my rage boil as Colette's Cruxis Crystal glowed red, apparently activating the seal to release. Large amounts of fire mana swirled around us like wildfire in the wind, and the air thickened. I suddenly thought of home and it's smog-filled air, and shook that away like one would a spider. Not now. I'm not going to think about that place now. As far as I care, that world is gone.

Suddenly, the seal's platform burst into flames, and the Ktugach and the Ktugachlings rose up from the middle of the blaze, flames seeping through their saber-like teeth. The room's temperature instantly rose up, but I didn't let it bother me. I was too peeved, and for you girls reading this, you probably know the kind of rage I'm channeling right now. You know that stuff that lurks in the furthest reaches of your mind. The stuff you can't feel until something unlocks it, like a song or a sentence, or even someone's face. That stuff.

"Ari, are you okay?" Colette asked nervously.

I shook my head, not taking my eyes from the big Ktugach, who was trying to stare me down.

"No, Colette, I am not okay. But I will be once these three are down and out!"

I sent three balls of ice at the big guy, but only two of the three actually hit its target. The big guy, let's call him Bag Bad 1, dodged it and ran at Colette, readying a blast of fire in its mouth. Genis and Kratos managed to keep it busy with a combination of magic and sword slices while Lloyd and I took out the lesser Big Bads.

Truth me told, I was completely high on adrenaline and rage now. And I was also too shaken up to see a clawed paw fly at me out of nowhere, leaving several deep gashes on my left arm as it passed. I sucked in a huge breath and fell to my knees as my adrenaline and rage finally leaking away. I was in big trouble now. That had been my motivation to fight. Now what would I use?

"Here."

I looked up to see Lloyd kneeling next to me, offering an Apple Gel. I frowned, but took it anyway.

"I'm still not forgiving you for calling me heavy," I growled.

"Is that why you're mad? Look, I'm sorry, okay?"

"For now that's okay. But I'd like a more sincere one later…once we're safe."

He nodded and dove back into the battle, swords clanging against spikes. The torn skin on my arm mended seamlessly after I ate the gel, and the only evidence of a wound were four small pink lines on my arm. I stood up and gathered as much mana as possible before joining Genis and Raine near the back.

"You two holding up okay?"

"We'll manage," Raine said, casting First Aid on Lloyd. "I just wish Lloyd would stop being so reckless. We need to keep our gel usage to a minimum, but he just insists on using his techs over and over."

"I'll keep my usage low," I said. "Genis, keep casting as much ice magic as possible."

"Right."

I completed my charge of mana and ran around the edge of the room as fast as my legs would let me, attempting to get behind the lesser creatures. I was beginning to run low on energy, so every hit count as of now. Not that I planned to waste any shots on thin air. Oi, I'm not that bad of a shot!

I finally managed to get behind the lesser creatures when Kratos struck the final blow with the big one. Both lesser creatures roared in mourning, and I took advantage of that to strike at the nearest creature's chest. It shuddered under my hand, then slumped onto its side. It was dead…and I instantly felt horrible.

The final Ktugachling, devastated by the loss of its companions, flew into a blinding rage, spewing fire like nobody's business. Its cries rang throughout the entire structure like a bass in a super-awesome stereo system, and I could do nothing but cover my ears and try to block the sound. I felt as if my head was going to explode.

Suddenly, it stopped. The room got really quiet, but the Ktugachling's cries still rang in my ears.

I looked at the creature, only to see Kratos standing under it, his sword plunged all the way into the creature's chest. Blood slid down his arm and pooled on the floor, but the worst part was the utterly emotionless expression he wore. How could anyone stand to do that to a creature in mourning? It just…it seems cruel to me, even if it was an enemy.

The pool of blood flowed freely in the cracks in the floor, and I felt myself grown extremely faint. Ugh…I was not good with blood. At least, not in that amount. I don't think anyone could stand that much except for a surgeon.

At that moment, my vision went black, and I saw shadows surging around me like a pulse in someone's body. They reached out to me, their stone cold fingers like ice on my bare skin, and I cringed as chills ran through every one of my limbs. I heard screams and cries for help, moans of agony, and angry roars, cursing an inaudible name. It was deafening. I thought my head was going to split.

I squeezed my eyes shut and walked the few feet between me and the wall, feeling so absolutely dizzy and horrible that my legs gave out and I sat down hard on the floor. I put my head between my knees and just sat there for a little bit, trying to force back the horrible noises that thundered through my skull.

"Ari, are you okay?"

It was Raine, I think.

"I'm f-fine," I muttered, pulling my head up. "I'm just a little woozy. The sight of blood has always been hard for me to handle."

Actually, it was the sight of any blood that came from anything living. Be it rabbit or human. It was all the same. What was that phobia called? The fear of blood? Uh…oh forget it.

I watched from the side of the room as Colette broke the Fire Seal, and I smirked behind my hand when I saw the faint outline of Efreet inside the column of mana. I wonder if anyone else noticed him…

Before I realized it, Remiel appeared and had 'bestowed the gift of Cruxis' upon Colette. And as soon as the small lights surrounded her, Colette sprouted her wings. Beautiful, translucent wings of pink crystal, they cast red hued rainbows on the walls. I couldn't help but smile, despite the fact that she would be in pain once we got out of the ruins. They were truly a sight to behold. No animation on Earth could do them justice.

Remiel instructed us to head east, to the Seal of Water, and disappeared in a flash of light, leaving a trail of feathers in his wake. You know, I kind of wanted to throw my shoe at him…Or maybe a large boulder. Of course, and anvil would do wonders, but I don't think they have them here.

"Ari, are you well enough to walk?" Raine asked.

I took a deep breath and stood, using one of the pillars as a support.

"Yeah. I think I'm fine," I said. "I'll be okay."

"Let's get out of here," Genis said.

"Seconded," I said. "I can still smell blood."

He nodded, his mouth set in a grim line. I guess he could smell it too. I placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled reassuringly. I knew we could get through this. We had to.

* * *

As the game's plotline goes, we camped out in the middle of the ruins, as close to solid ground as possible. Colette had collapsed just as we'd left the ruins, tripping on the top step. She'd ended up falling onto Lloyd and he, being the adorkable guy his is, carried her to the campground.

Skip to now, it's probably around nine, and the desert has gotten to be quite cool. I get goosebumps every time the wind blows. Colette's still out cold, but she's under several blankets, just as the Professor had insisted. No one, of course, had protested when she'd suggested it.

"So where do we go next?" Lloyd asked as he poked the fire with a stick.

"I guess we head to Izoold?" Genis said, pointing to a small red dot on the map spread out in front of Raine. The Professor nodded, but I could see she was uncomfortable. Oh yeah…after Izoold, we'd have to hitch a ride on that one guy's boat.

"Ari, let's go."

I turned to Kratos, who was heading back into the ruins. I frowned but it dawned on me. It was time to train. He was making good on his promise. Crud…

I followed after saying goodnight to the others and headed into the ruins, my eyes glued to my feet. I was not going to trip tonight. No way. I've tripped one too many times in my life.

"Ari, eyes forward."

My head snapped up, and I nearly fell backwards in surprise. I was less than a few feet from Kratos, and he didn't look happy. He looked a little peeved. Oh great…I was gonna get my butt kicked for knowing about Celsius, wasn't I? Well, I've had a great time here. It's been lovely knowing you, Colette, Lloyd! I had fun.

"You did well today."

I'm gonna miss your lessons, Raine. Well, not really, but…

Wait.

"What?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

"You did well today. It seems you're acquiring a better sense of concentration."

"Really?!" I cried. "I'm getting better?"

"Yes, but you still have a long way to go. Let us pick up where we left off two nights ago."

And so my lesson on mana continued.

We covered the basic elements I could control, and we attempted to learn the missing ones, but I just couldn't do it. Every time I tried to increase the density of the mana around my hands, my vision would go black, and I'd wake up several minutes later lying on the bottom stair. And every time, Kratos would urge me to continue.

After several of those moments, he obviously got sick of it and stood up, shaking his head.

"You're distracted. We'll continue tomorrow night."

"…alright," I said quietly. He was right. I was distracted. Really distracted. The image of blood wouldn't leave me alone, and it was getting harder to handle. The sight of him with blood dripping down his arm and onto the floor was disturbing to me. I was…scared of him, to put it simply. My fear of him was beginning to overlap the burning sensation under my skin.

I followed him back to camp and took my place next to Lloyd. He was fiddling with the paper crane I'd given Colette.

"You made this, didn't you, Ari?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said with a small smile. "I like making them. They relax me."

"Can you teach me?" he asked. "I'm good with my hands."

I shrugged. "Sure. Raine, do you have anymore paper? The Desians nicked mine when they grabbed me."

"Sorry," she said. "All I have left is homework."

"It's okay," I said, waving my hand in front of me. "I'll get some when we return to Triet or something." I turned back to Lloyd and Genis, who looked almost cheated. "Sorry, guys. I'll teach you another day."

"Yes. It's well past midnight. We should all be asleep," Raine said. "Goodnight, everyone."

"Goodnight," we chorused.

I hunkered down on my side, facing away from the fire, and my fatigue caught me in a death grip. I yawned and closed my eyes, feeling sweet sleep drag me away into a calm sleep.

* * *

And yet another chapter is completed with few grammatical errors and no more Mary-Sue crap than necessary! Yay! Break out the Ramune and pocky!

I'm sorry if the next chapter takes a while, but I'm hoping it's better than it sounds. I'm trying to get this right, and I know I should update a bit more often, but I've just got too much going on right now. Please understand?

Again, vote for the techs in the poll, or simply leave a review with your vote. Just so you know, the new techs won't be used until the Tethe'alla arc. Sorry, but I have more I'm learning. And yes, I will still put in random titles. I've got a list of them.

Sleep well/have a nice day!

-Wing


	6. Dojikko, The Divine Kind of Clumsy

Guess who's baaaaaaaaaack!! Yes, dear readers, I am alive and well! It hasn't been too long since I updated last, right? Oh, whatever...

Anyway, readers, I've been going crazy lately, and I've already written a bunch of scenes that take place near the end of the story. Stuff like meeting Mithos, the incident at Altessa's house, the Tower of Salvation stuff, and much more. Sigh...I just can't keep my mind on one part at a time. I'm going all over the place now...

Anyhoo, Obama's been sworn in and America's on the right track now. I hope. And what better time to tell you, VOTE IN THE POLE ON MY PROFILE! Seriously people, two people have voted. Please vote for my sake. I'm going crazy here. But you have time, so...yeah...okay, here goes.

**Don't own, don't sue. Flame and you die.**

* * *

Chapter 6: Dojikko, The Divine Kind of Clumsy

I had a dream last night.

I was in the middle of a field of marigolds. Their petals looked like satin and were smooth to the touch. The sun was high in the sky, and its light cast brilliant gold rainbows as it reflected off the flowers. I could hear a faint song all around me, and I recognized it as Horizon 12.2 from WALL-E. Heh…I loved that movie. Wall-e was the cutest robot ever.

I closed my eyes. The breeze carried the gentle scent of flowers and wood. I remembered that smell. I had bought a wooden Dragon Whistle at a Renaissance Festival a few years back, and it had smelled just like that. It was a gentle burned scent. It was simply wonderful.

I fell back amongst the flowers and sighed contently. This was perfect. I was in heaven…or that field Colette was standing in during the opening animation of Symphonia. Eh, I wasn't bothered by it. It was bliss being here.

I felt something cold and wet drip onto my face, just below my eye. I wiped the liquid off, only to smile. It was rain. How strange, though. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. And I didn't hear thunder or anything. I brushed it off easily. After all, this was a dream. Dreams were the mirror of your mind, someone had once told me. I guess I'm just blissfully relaxed tonight.

"Ari--"

The rain increased slightly, become a shower in the blink of an eye. Again, it was simply bliss being here.

"Ari--ope----ey-s--"

My good mood wilted at the voice. That…that didn't belong in my dreams. That voice was not something I wanted to hear. It was fmailiar, but there was like a wall of static between me and it. Then the static began fading.

"Plea---ba--, Ar---iss you-"

My grimace turned into a full blown frown, and I sat up, my eyes snapping open.

"Go away!" I shrieked at the voice. "You can't be here!"

Thunder boomed overhead, and the rain became a heavy downpour, drenching me to the core. But the voice was still there. The thunder covered most of it up, but I could feel it there, trying to reach me again.

There was another crack of thunder, and I felt something thicker than rain drip down onto my face. It was warm, too.

I brushed it away, but my hand came away red. It looked like…

…blood.

I screamed.

* * *

I was awake in an instant, my pulse thundering in my ears. Damn…that was the third time I'd had that dream this week. What had caused it? Had it been the battle at the Triet Ruins? I grimaced, remembering the blood flowing through the cracks in the floor, then shook it away. Not now. I didn't need to remember it right now.

We'd been on the road for about three days now, and we were within a few miles of the Ossa Trail, or so Raine had said last night. We were all still a little shaken after Colette's sudden collapse that night at the ruins, but she'd made a full recovery the next morning. She had even been the first one awake. Everyone was happy to see her better, but I knew at the back of my mind that she was beginning to feel the first effects of the angel transformation. She'd lose her ability to sleep, her appetite, and finally her voice and heart. But we'd save her. That was a given.

I sighed and sat up, looking towards Ossa Trail. We've done quite a bit of walking lately too, and we were all tuckered out. I was surprised I could even move. Kratos had been going a bit overboard with my training, in my opinion. I mean, every night from sundown to midnight, he'd show me the basics of balance and strength. He taught me how to balancing magic and defense for a few hours…and then he'd wipe the ground with me. Seriously!! He'd tell me to hold nothing back, and then he'd use one kick. One _KICK_, and I'd be down and out, several yards away, with a large gash either on my arm or my head or my leg. And only one word can describe what I feel every time: O-u-c-h.

I yawned silently and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. I could see the pink-tinged horizon just through the trees, golden light filtering through the green leaves. Out of curiosity, I stuck my hand in the air and watched the light play across it. It was warm, and the slight mist that hung in the area cast the shadow of my hand in midair. And when I turned my hand, the light glinted off my Exsphere, making it glow pale green. I smiled. It was a stupid little thing, but sometimes you grow to appreciate them. I did back home, and I still do.

I heard the gravel next to me crackle, and I saw Noishe trotting over to me, ears back. He looked a little scared. I put my hand down, but I held out my other one.

"It's okay, Noishe," I whispered. "I'm not here to hurt you. Let's be friends."

Noishe fidgeted for a few minutes, pawing the ground, then sat down in front of me. I grinned and scratched him behind the ears, enjoying the messy licks he gave me in return. I…I guess I missed this too. Having a dog, I mean. I used to have one, but…he died of an intestinal disease at the age of four. It had killed me a million times over, seeing as my little Sammie was a Yorkie, and a runt to boot. He'd been my baby for a long time, and I'd taken him for granted the whole time. Now, when I see people out playing with their dogs, I have to ignore the ripping feeling in my heart.

I buried my face in Noishe's side, and he twisted his head so he could lick my arm. I gave him a small smile.

"Thanks, Noishe. I needed that."

He licked me again and lay down, resting his head on my lap. It made me smile even more. So I kept scratching behind his ears and petting him until the others began to stir. You know, his fur is really soft. Kind of like cat's fur, but silkier. Noishe was like a therapy dog, except he was a protozoan, instead. A Therapy Protazoan! What an idea!

"How long have you been awake, Ari?" Raine asked as she sat up and yawned.

"Only a little while. Noishe was keeping me company."

"I see. Well, can you help me wake up the others?"

"Sure," I said. I gently nudged Noishe off my lap and stood up, trying to get my blood circulating to my legs again. It didn't take long, thank goodness, and I didn't feel that funky 'pins and needles' feeling.

I scooted over to Colette, and shook her shoulder gently.

"Colette, wake up. It's time to wake up."

She yawned and opened her eyes, looking somewhat rested.

"I'm awake…," she said sleepily.

"Good. I'm going to wake Lloyd."

I crawled over to Lloyd and poked him in the cheek with a finger.

"Oh, Lloyd," I said in a singsong voice, "Time to wake up."

"Five more minutes," Lloyd mumbled as he rolled over onto his side. He forced one eye partially open, but closed it. "Oh, it's just you, Ari…go t'bed…"

He rolled over onto his other side, facing away from me, and started snoring. I frowned, but was soon grinning slyly.

"You missed breakfast."

Lloyd's eyes snapped open as he sat up, but I was in the way, and his forehead collided with my cheek, sending both of us toppling backwards.

"Ow!" I said sharply, pressing a palm to my bruised cheek. "Watch your head, Lloyd!"

"You watch it!"

"Stop yelling, you two! It's too early for that!" Raine shouted. "Now, where's Kratos?"

As if on cue, Kratos walked out of the trees with his sword unsheathed.

"There he is," I said through gritted teeth. Ugh, my head hurt.

"Here," Genis replied, handing me a sandwich.

"Thanks," I said with a grin.

Genis returned it with a sleepy one of his own and passed out the remaining sandwiches. They were just bread with strips of beef and lettuce in it, but it was great. Better than any four course meal in P.F. Chang's, as far as I was concerned. It was food!

We were back on the road within the hour, once again trekking through the dense forest. I was completely comfortable, which is usually paranoia. But there are no rapists or sex offenders hiding in the woods here! …I think. Is there? Oh no, here's the paranoia. Darn.

"So, Colette, how do you feel?" Raine asked. "Do you feel any different than yesterday?"

"No," she said cheerfully.

"Professor, stop pestering her," Lloyd said. "She looks perfectly fine."

"I'm still worried too, Lloyd," I said quietly.

"Colette's a lot sturdier than you might think," he retorted, grinning at me. "I remember last spring she put a hole in the school wall and didn't have a scratch on her."

I forced back a laugh as Colette and Genis chuckled behind us.

"You cannot be serious," I said through my hand. "That hole in the wall was you, Colette?"

"You saw it?" she asked.

"It, uh, was a little hard to miss."

Everyone was smiling now, with the exception of Kratos, who was hiding a smirk, and I felt happy again. What a nice feeling.

Before any of us knew it, we had reached the foot of the Ossa Trail. It had taken us a long time, almost four or five days, but we were finally here!

"So Izoold is just on the other side of this?" Genis asked. Raine and I both nodded.

"Izoold may be just a small fishing village, but we should be able to get a ride on one of the fishing boats," she explained as I walked a little farther ahead. I felt a wave of déjà vu. The nostalgia level was a bit odd for me, seeing as I've never been here or there. Up until now, I'd only seen it in games.

"Ari, do you know the way?" Raine asked as she caught up to me.

"Uh…vaguely, I think. I only passed through here once, and I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going."

"But you have an idea?"

"Uh…maybe?"

Raine sighed, bringing out her map. "But could you guide us through?"

"Again, I am shrugging," I said, quoting the movie Short Circuit. Oh my god, that movie was funny. I think WALL-E was based on Johnny-5.

"Well, at least it's something," she sighed as she walked back to the group.

I picked a smudge of dirt off my hand and pulled my gloves on. There were monsters ahead. Training with Kratos had helped me sense them.

Of course, I was right only half the time, so…I honestly wasn't all that good.

We continued on our way and headed into the first area. Let's see...five...four...three...two...one...

"Hold it!"

And here we go!

Sheena dropped down from the cliff up ahead, making her grand entrance. And let me just say, she could give Dolly Parton a run for her money! Sheena was slender, curvy, and oh my god, did she have boobs! The first time I'd seen her while playing the game, I swear my vision had turned green with envy. Perfect black hair, perfect eyes, perfect…oh, someone shut me up.

"Is the Chosen of Mana among you?" she asked.

I was about to deny it when Colette stepped forward.

"Oh, that's me!" she said.

I slapped my hand to my forehead and groaned.

"Oh, Colette…"

"Prepare to die," Sheena hissed. She ran at Colette so fast that I did what first came to mind, which was really, really stupid, mind you.

I stepped in Sheena's path, placing myself in front of Colette.

"Stop!" I said quickly. "I'm sure we can talk this out if-"

I was cut off as the Sheena rammed into me, but then the ground suddenly gave way beneath our feet. We were suspended in mid air for a minute, and I took that moment to look back at Colette, who was clinging to the mineshaft's lever to keep from falling backwards.

**~Colette obtained the title: Dojikko~**

"Oh no…," I said.

And Sheena and I fell into the dark mines below.

* * *

Pain…pain, oh my god, was my head still attached to my shoulders?

I sat up as slowly as possible, testing out my muscles before standing up. I winced as I found several kinks in my back, but nothing serious. What the hell had…

Oh yeah. I'd fallen down the hole. With Sheena. The assassin.

I flicked my wrist, illuminating the mines with a thin layer of fire mana. There was a way out. I know it. I remember it.

"Hello?" I called. "Ms. Assassin? Are you still alive?" Oh, yeah, I'm being positive right now...Now let's see...where did she...oh god.

I brightened the area with a little more mana and froze, seeing Sheena lying a few feet away, a large cut on her head bleeding slowly.

"Oh my god," I mumbled, kneeling down next to her. "Oh my god! You're bleeding! Um…um…oh my god, this is not supposed to happen! Dammit, where's Raine when you need her?!"

I gulped down air and dropped to both knees, trying to think straight. Now, um, how was I supposed to call healing mana again? Oh my god, I'd just learned that yesterday while fighting that one Marcroid thing. Um…let's see. Remain calm, call upon a happy memory, and form the mana to mend that which is broken. That's what Kratos had said. Heh, easy enough. I remembered the moment I'd met Colette, and how she'd been so nice to me.

Immediately, the air seemed alive with healing mana, flowing from the air, though my hand, and into the cut on Sheena's head. I could see she had several other injuries, but I only paid close attention to the serious ones. After all, she was going to be our friend later. Get on good terms now and hope for the best.

Sheena began stirring, so I stopped healing her and stood up, switching back to fire mana. The caves were once again illuminated, and I couldn't help but notice one tiny problem. I couldn't see the exit. Wasn't it just boarded up in the game? And hadn't it been a really small mine to begin with? I groaned and walked back to Sheena, who was just sitting up.

"Hey, you're okay now," I said casually. "I guess that means we can look for a way ou-"

Suddenly, I found myself lying flat on my back with a razor-sharp card pressed to my neck.

"You're a friend of the Chosen's! Prepare to die!"

Dammit! She was going to kill me!

"What the hell?! Sheena, get off me!!"

Strangely, she backed right off, staring at me in sheer surprise.

"What?" I asked.

"How do you know my name?!" she cried, bringing out her cards.

I blinked, instantly realizing what I'd done.

**~Ari just received the title: Repeat What You Just Said~**

"I uh…I didn't …," I stuttered, slowly backing up. "I sure I didn't say your name. What _is_ your name?"

"It's Sheena! Again, how do you know my name?!"

"I don't! At least, until now I didn't! I said Sheesh, not Sheena!" I bluffed, trying to make the words sound alike. She definitely wasn't convinced, and I didn't blame her. Some stranger says your name out of nowhere, and then denies it completely. Personally, I'd make a fuss over it, but whatever.

"Why are you trying to kill Colette?" I asked Sheena, diverting her attention from my slip-up.

"None of your business."

"It is SO my business! You just attack my friend out of nowhere and expect me to just forget it?!"

"She has to die, for the sake of my people!"

"But everyone will be saved if she goes through with this," I muttered. That was not a lie.

Sheena mumbled something inaudible, but I assumed it had something to do with Tethe'alla. I kicked a rock hard, sending it deep into the darkness of the mines.

"I won't let you kill her."

Sheena shook her head and kept walking. "You're so naïve."

"So what? I-"

Suddenly the mines shook violently, and all the torches flared to life around us. Everything was bright, except for one spot in the farthest shaft, nearly fifty feet away.

"YOU HAVE MADE THE FIRST MOVE," a deep voice bellowed. "NOW WE SHALL FIGHT!!"

I felt my jaw go slack and my knees nearly buckled.

"Oh my god! It's the Sword Dancer!! RUN!!"

I grabbed Sheena's hand and booked it down the path to my left, running as fast as my legs could carry me.

Now, for you brave souls out there who've attempted fighting the Sword Dancer, you know very well that that _monster_ is capable of inflicting an instant KO upon your gamer soul. Now, when you try and fight it at my level, which is somewhere around 10 or 11, the following usually happens. **Player gets cocky -**** Sword Dancer appears -**** Player gets their ass handed to him/her in nanoseconds. **Now, I personally don't want to tussle with the Sword Dancer. For all I know, I may only have one life in this game. Oh, that's not a good thing to think about right now.

So I just ran for my life, dragging Sheena with me for the next ten minutes or so. The mines were definitely abandoned, judging by the amount of trash-hopping we had to do. You couldn't go five feet without tripping over something, be it a fallen support beam or a large boulder. Of course, Sheena was much better at running than I was, and she ended up taking the lead after a while.

"What do we do?!" she shouted back to me, panting heavily.

"We need…to find the…others," I wheezed out, narrowly avoiding a falling rock. "If we can…gang up on it…we should be able to…take it down!"

"But where's the exit?! It's a maze in here!"

"Hell if I know! It's not like I walked in here! I fell with y-!"

Suddenly my shoe caught on a rock, and I fell face-first onto the hard-packed ground. Dirt and rocks scratched against my face, and I could feel the larger rocks cut me, but that wasn't the worst part of it.

As soon as I managed to pick myself up, a sword pierced the ground where my head had been. I looked up, only to see the Sword Dancer, in all its gruesome glory, looming over me. Its breath smelled like something that had died several times over in an oven. I grimaced as it leaned closer, staring at me with wide, livid yellow eyes.

"I LIVE TO FIGHT. WE FIGHT NOW, YES?"

It lifted its sickle-like sword high above its head, nearly touching the ceiling of the mine, and I felt something in my chest snap. Not like a broken bone or something physical, but it was like some invisible nerve had just…broken. I sat up and looked at my hands, seeing the shadows from the Triet Ruins seethe and surge under my skin instead of in the air.

Then, as if things hadn't already gotten weirder, my hands went from flesh to translucent purple. I felt free with this new power, but I also felt nothing deep in my heart. But something grew from that emptiness. At first, I simply thought it was adrenaline, but as the feeling grew, I realized it was fear. Pure, raw, unfiltered fear.

"WHAT IS THIS?" the Sword Dancer asked.

I looked up at it, and a deep instinct took over. Almost like the instinct to survive. I jumped at the Sword Dancer's head. My hand, though translucent and foggy, connected with its forehead, and I saw something. An image...or was it a thought? Was it an emotion? It was…so simple, but it was like it was a feeling of my own.

The fear of being alone.

I landed in front of the Sword Dancer gracefully, but fell to my knees, shaking like a leaf. What that hell had that been?! What have I done?! I'm so scared, but it's…it's not my fear. It's someone else's fear I feel! No…it is, but…this fear felt different.

"You…you don't want to be alone…without a rival," I whispered, forcing myself to turn and face the Sword Dancer, despite the fact that my legs wouldn't move. "You want to have someone to fight with for the rest of your life. You fight…because you feel a bond with those you face."

The Bone Dancer sighed, then slowly reverted to his smaller, skull state, the glow in his eyes softening from harsh yellow to pale orange.

"YOU SHARE MY FEAR, DO YOU NOT?" it said.

"I…I guess I do," I said quietly.

"DO YOU ACCEPT IT?"

I opened my mouth to reply, ready to say yes, but the Sword Dancer disappeared, and I knew in my heart that saying 'yes'…that wasn't the right answer. Truth be told, I was still afraid of it. The mere thought of being alone was enough to make me so sad that not even watching the hilarious Gram Norton show could make it better. I could fall into a darkness that seeped through my skin and rattled my core. I could feel it now, blotting out my confidence and stabbing my self esteem in the heart.

**~Ari learned Fright of One~**

"Are you okay?" Sheena asked, running to my side. "I'm sorry I couldn't help, but what happened?"

I tried to speak, but I couldn't. My voice wouldn't respond to my brain. It seemed Sheena understood that, and she offered me her hand. I took it and stood up, but my knees were still weak. I couldn't stand without her help. I was so vulnerable at that moment that I couldn't stop the small tears that slipped down my cheeks. I was in too much turmoil to think very well.

But the fear left me soon, and just in time. I could see light filled cracks in the wall fifty feet ahead of us.

"You know," I whispered, "you could've left me back there and escaped. You would've had one less thing to worry about."

"Shut up. I won't be indebted to anyone here."

"So you're going to continue your attempts on Colette's life, then."

"And you plan to thwart me?"

"Every time," I said quietly.

I couldn't see her very well in the dim light, but I could've sworn she'd smirked. I hid a smile of my own as we finally reached the entrance and kicked the loose boards down, revealing the outside world. I gave a whoop of joy, tripped, and collapsed in the sunlight, unable to keep back a long-due grin.

"Ah, the sun feels so good!" I said, stretching my arms.

Sheena nodded with a smile, but that quickly turned into a small frown.

"I can hear your friends and the Chosen."

"Knock me out or something and go," I said quickly.

"That's cowardly!"

"Look, I healed you back there when you were unconscious and I got rid of the Sword Dancer. If you leave, I'll call it even."

She glared down at me, so I continued.

"Look, I really don't want to fight. And you won't be able to handle Kratos. He's too stong for anyone to defeat. Please believe me when I say I'm saving you from getting your butt kicked to high heaven."

She bit her lip, but nodded hesitantly. "Fine. But next time, you're dead!"

"We'll see, Sheena."

"Oh yeah, I never got your name."

"It's Ari."

She nodded and said, "We'll meet again, Ari. Be ready to fight."

"I will."

And with that, Sheena hit me over the head, sending me spiraling into darkness.

* * *

I awoke around sunset that night, the smell of the sea pulling my consciousness back. I wasn't walking, but something under me was.

I opened my eyes slowly and looked forward, but my gaze was obstructed by a head full of reddish spikes. Oh…Kratos was carrying me. That's nice…

"Oh my God!!" I shouted, waking up and pushing away from the mercenary. He kept a tight grip on my legs, so I kind of flailed there for a minute, or at least until I calmed down. Everyone was staring at me with a mix of concern and bewilderment, and I turned red.

"You can put me down, Kratos," I said quietly.

He 'Hmm'ed and let me go, allowing me to drop down to my feet with a thud. My ankles throbbed, but I hid my grimace with a cough.

"Owie…what happened?" I asked.

"That assassin knocked you out and left you near the mine," Lloyd said bluntly. "You looked pretty banged up."

"Yeah, that usually happens after you fall down a hole and get chased by a giant skeleton," I retorted quietly, rubbing the bruise on the back of my head where Sheena had struck me.

"What?" they asked.

I just shook my head, smirking on the inside.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

* * *

**Dojikko:** Divine Clumsiness. 'Nuff said.

**Repeat What You Just Said:** This is usually given out when a character says something that draws the attention of the surrounding crowd, usually prompting said crowd to demand the character in question to repeat what they said. There is no real hidden meaning, as far as I know.


	7. Fishing in my Memories

Hey, readers. Glad to see you've stuck with me so far. This story is becoming more popular than my Zelda story, and that's just hit 30 chapters! I'm happy that you like my writing. It's really encouraging.

I just found out some pretty odd news, too...I learned from the Television Tropes website that the 9th Doctor was also the Invisible Man in Heroes. Then I found out that Alexander Corvinus (Underworld Evolution) is also Mr. Linderman from Heroes! I almost keeled over when I read all that, then freaked when I saw the pictures.

Anyhoo, there is a reason why I'm describing my dreams, not to mention it's practice for me, so tell me how I'm doing. Don't try and guess anything, or I'll...oh forget it. I'm thinking of giving all my reveiwers each a title, i.e., I'd probably give myself the title **Deadpan Snarker** or something...maybe...

Okay, let's answer some questions:

_Shinomi7: I hope you plan on explaining where Ari learns how to read the mind of hollow skeletons eventually._

_Regal Bryant Lover: Hey, what does "fear of one" mean? you forgot to include it._

_Fanfic-AddictYuki: What does fright of one do to the enemy?_

Yeah, I kinda forgot to explain that. Fear of One is her new tech. It's pretty much looking into the mind of the enemy and viewing their fears. Well, fear, and then manifests that in their mind, effectively paralyzing them, and Ari, for a few moments. I titled it that way because it's the fear of being the only one around. The fear of being alone, in a sense. It's not a title, sorry about that. I messed up. Again. Sorry.

_SalanTrong: I was just wondering though, Ari asks several questions about maybe being a half-elf. Will that come out for sure in that scene in Tethe'alla? The one were the papal knights arrest them and Zelos inside of the academy in Sybak I mean._

Aha! Speculation! I'm glad you asked, but I cannot explain it. Much. Ari is very much human, but something will happen in that scene in Sybak. Something big. ...I think...There's still a lot of time between now and then, so I may tweak it, but it will more than likely hook you into reading the entire thing. I hope!

* * *

Chapter 7: Fishing in my Memories

"Fresh tuna! Git yer fresh tuna here!"

"Octopus for sale! Freshly caught this morning!"

Izoold. The village of rotting fishy smells and crabby fishers. The one inhabited place, aside from Palmacosta, that you can see the ocean up close (Thoda's just a tourist attraction. Raine had said no one lives there). Seafood vendors lined the cliff side, shouting their inventory and prices at shoppers, and some even turned to us, but were quickly avoided. The houses were small and made of wood, contrary to my impression that wood was warped by water unless treated properly. Did they have some form of wood sealer here? Oh, forget it. I am _not_ going to focus on the little details.

We managed to make it to the city just as the sun hit its highest point in the sky, and thank goodness for fighting monsters. We had just enough Gald for two rooms (minus the money for stocking up) which we promptly labeled them one gender each, with Raine, Colette and I in one, and Lloyd, Genis and Kratos in the other.

Grateful for a moment of rest, I took it upon myself to do some peaceful shopping with Genis, and together we prowled the village, looking for the best deals on gels and foods while Raine and Kratos looked for our next method of transportation; a boat. Oh, that would definitely not be fun. I get motion sickness.

"Do we know any recipes that call for seafood?" I asked, looking over several bins of fish and squid.

"Not that I can think of. I doubt anyone would want a beef and seaweed sandwich."

I grimaced at the image. Oh, that was unpleasant. "It sounds like something Raine would come up with."

"Yeah…she's been making up those recipes since we moved to Iselia," he said with a sigh. Then he laughed. "Once, she got this idea in her head that she could start a cooking class for all the mothers in the village."

"What happened?"

"Half of them got food poisoning."

I laughed so hard I nearly dropped the fish I'd been inspecting. "Are you serious?!"

"You've seen her food before. You also know the horrors that await those who even sniff it."

I stopped laughing, remembering a dish from not to long ago. It had been near the middle of our trek to the Ossa Trail, and Raine had 'generously' offered to cook without even telling us. And when she'd revealed her 'masterpiece' at dinnertime, everyone took one bite of her food and raced off into the trees. I'd accidentally taken the 'food' with me, so I dumped it and headed back to camp. Later that night, Lloyd and I discovered a group of large grasshoppers surrounding the stuff, and boy did they look horrible! Their green coloring had gone from grassy emerald to pale purple.

**~Raine obtained the title: Lethal Chef~**

"Not even monsters can survive your sister's cooking," I said quietly.

"Exactly."

"Should we try teaching her the basics?"

"What do you think I've been trying to do for the last seven years?"

"Good point." I frowned, and we began our trek back to the inn when something caught my eye. It looked…really familiar. I think it was…

"No way…," I whispered.

"No what?" Genis asked, peering up at me with an eyebrow arched.

I pointed to the small pelican carving set up by the steps of the nearby house.

"I think…I think it's the Wonder Chef."

"Huh? Where?"

"The pelican carving!"

"The Wonder Chef…Wait a minute, I know exactly what you're thinking," he said curtly. "Don't even try it. Raine would dissect him before they got anywhere near cooking something."

"Oh…that wouldn't be pretty…" I imagined a meeting between Raine and Wonder Chef, and it ended…somewhat gorily in my head. "Then let's just surprise everyone with a new dish for dinner!"

"I guess we can do that. Let's go talk to him."

I led Genis over to the carving and poked it.

Several times.

"Dang it. I thought it was the Wonder Chef…," I muttered, scratching my head in confusion. "I was so sure…"

"Why'd you even think it was him in the first place?" Genis asked as we turned back towards the inn.

"I…It just looked out of place, in my opinion. I mean-"

Suddenly there was an explosion of smoke behind us. Both of us screamed/yelped and twisted around, ready to defend ourselves. I was ready to charge up an attack, but I put my hands down with an exasperated sigh.

The wooden bird had transformed into the Wonder Chef. His light blonde hair was close to Colette's hair color, but his eyes were a greener shade of blue. He wore the same outfit he always did; Green and white chef's uniform, giant white chef's hat, red cape, and (of course) the giant fork. And that goofy grin! I resisted the urge to burst out laughing and settled on coughing.

"Hello, Wonder Chef," I said simply when I'd recovered.

"Felicitations, my friends! I am delighted to see you again!"

"Same here. So what recipe are you planning on teaching us today?" I asked, hands on my hips.

"Let's make some rice balls!" he exclaimed.

Oh, I could say something really bad about that, but Raine would kill me for saying it in front of Genis.

The Wonder Chef tapped the ground several times with his fork, and we were suddenly in the inn's kitchen, dressed in aprons. Genis was wearing a white one, and, unfortunately, I was wearing a frilly blue one. I pushed away the tempting idea that involved me punching the Chef to kingdom come.

"Why am I dressed in this?" I asked him as he poofed the ingredients out of thin air. He shrugged.

"Blue is a relaxing color!"

"I mean the frills," I hissed.

"Let's begin!" he shouted, acting as if I hadn't said anything. I'd get him, sooner or later…

First he showed us the basic steps, and to be honest, I'd seen someone make rice balls only once on TV. I'd tried it once as well, but the rice hadn't been fully cooked, so they tasted off. Not to mention I'd messed up a few times during preparation. Oops. Hopefully, these would turn out better.

We finished cooking around five, just as the sun was going down. I placed the last of the rice balls on the big dish with a glance out the window. I sighed. I could see the ocean from here. It was tinged pink from the sky. It looked like one of those Thomas Kinkade seascapes where everything is really peaceful and colorful. The houses are picturesque and cozy, and life is perfect. No trouble, no conflict, no racism. Nothing horrible or distract like the terrors of life.

"Hello in there!" someone said in my ear. I jumped, nearly dropping the food, and whirled around to see Lloyd. I took a moment to breathe, but something was off, though. He looked like he was choking.

"Lloyd? You okay?"

"What are you wearing?" he asked between several snickers.

I looked down at myself and immediately turned red. I was still wearing the apron.

"Oh my god!" I shouted.

I set the tray down quickly on the kitchen counter and ripped the apron off, flinging it at Lloyd's head. He ducked it with a laugh and I slipped past him, heading for the main room with the tray in my hands.

"You tell a soul, and I'll eat yours," I hissed.

He wasn't even fazed by it. He just shrugged and followed me.

I headed into the main room and smiled. Everyone was already gathered around the table, awaiting the meal that Genis and I (well, mainly Genis) had made. A warm feeling slowly wormed its way into my chest as I sat down and began passing the food around. Was this…was this what it truly felt like to be…a family? Sitting down for dinner with those you hold dear. I wish I could feel this at home. But with my mother working nearly every moment I was home, I didn't get much of this feeling. It was nice, and a little awkward, but comforting, too.

"What are you thinking about, Ari?" Lloyd asked. "You're spacing out."

"Huh? Oh, nothing."

"Come on. Tell us."

I sighed, and then told them one of the few truths I'd ever be able to tell.

"I've never had a real dinner with friends or family before, so I'm just…a little out of place, I guess. But it feels really nice. I think I like it."

"Well, that's good to hear," Genis said. "That means you're not a weirdo."

"Oh, thanks, Genis," I said sarcastically.

"I'm not surprised you feel like this," Raine said. "You've been alone for a long time, aside from your friend, haven't you?"

"Yeah...well, I'm glad I met you guys. You're really awesome people."

"Dork," Lloyd muttered. I grinned at him comment and bit into my rice ball, savoring the light fruit filling I'd added to a few of them behind the Wonder Chef's back.

"Yeah…I know."

* * *

I had a different dream that night. I was no longer standing amidst the golden magnolias under a sunny sky. I was walking, for one thing. It was a bit dark, and when the world came into focus, I realized I was standing in the middle of a big grey city. Its buildings stood five stories tall at the most, and the sun was down, explaining why it was dark and why I could see stars. I could hear a flute and something that shounded like a electronic keyboard being played somewhere, but I didn't know where its source was. It seemed to be coming from every direction, even the ground below me. How strange…my dreams were getting weirder by the day.

I continued walking down the empty streets, looking for some kind of landmark. Anything to tell me where I was. But I had no such luck, and I was soon lost amidst its cold stone walls and cobblestone roads. Everything looked the same. It was like I was in a hall of mirrors or something. No landmarks, no signs, not even a street light or an open door.

Wait a second…

I stopped walking and turned my attention to the nearest building. I circled it once, twice, and a third time, stopping only to frown at it from the place I started circling. There were no doors. But how could that be? How else could you get inside?

I headed to the nearest window and peeked inside. I saw a living room of a small house through the glass pane. The walls were a deep russet red, the floor was hardwood, and there was a fire going in the fireplace in the far wall. But…it was a stone building. No one would decorate the inside like that. It looked like a cabin on a lake or in the middle of nowhere, not an office building.

Then I saw a small family enter the room. A mother and father and their two kids, one boy and one girl. The mother had blond hair and bluish grey eyes while the father had brown hair and hazel eyes, and the kids looked to be twins no more than six years old. The little girl held her doll tightly to her chest and climbed onto the couch, taking her place on her mother's lap. The little boy, on the other hand, ran in circles around the room, playing with his model airplane he must've finished recently. Their mother and father looked at each other with looks so happy and proud that I had to turn away before I burst into tears.

They were so lucky to have that happiness. My happiness seemed to have abandoned me a while back. Had it left the moment my father had disappeared from my memories? Or had it been my first year in junior high, where I'd known little to no people and had had no friends? To be honest, I couldn't remember a time when I'd been truly happy, aside from my arrival in Sylvarant.

I left the cozy home behind me and continued walking; stopping only a few times to look into the windows I passed. I saw happy families and friends every time I looked, and it grew to be so painful that I barely stand it.

"Why can't I be that lucky?" I whispered to the nearest window, watching a large family sit down for Thanksgiving dinner. "I barely even know my own family…"

I sighed, stepped away from the window, and continued walking down the street. Then, out of nowhere, I saw a building with a door. I rushed towards it, but I began hearing a voice.

"…ella, it's time for dinner! Come inside before it gets cold!"

I froze in mid-step. That voice…not again. Not here. I never wanted to hear that voice again!

"Okay, mom!"

A small silhouette dashed past me, running for the door, but stopped and turned around. I bit my lip until I couldn't stand it.

Standing in front of me, not ten feet away, was none other than a ghostly me as a child. I knew it was me. I was wearing a short denim dress I remembered easily. It had been my favorite thing to wear when I was six.

"Who are you?" the younger me asked.

"I…I…you are…"

"My name's Ariella. What's yours?"

"Ariella! Come inside this instant!"

My head snapped up in a heartbeat, bringing my attention to a ghost that resembled my mother, who stood in the doorway with a stern look on her face. Her brown hair tumbled around her neck and shoulders in large curls, and her eyes were deep brown like mine, but she was…different from my mom on Earth.

"Coming, mom!" the younger me called. She turned back to me and smiled. "You wanna come in? Is it okay if my friend stays for dinner, mommy?"

"I don't see why not, Ariella, but let's ask her first." My mother looked up at me and smiled. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"

I don't know why I did what I did, but when you see something like this, you do the first thing that comes to your mind. I didn't go in, speak, or even stay in the same place.

I ran in the opposite direction.

But as soon as I took that first step away, the house my younger self and mother were in front of shattered like a broken window. But the shattering didn't stop there. The building cracked and splintered apart, and soon the street was filled with fissures and cracks. And it was catching up fast. I couldn't run fast enough, but I was too scared to stop and accept it.

So I kept going until the road under my feet shattered and tumbled into the infinite darkness below, and as I fell with the shards of glass, I glimpsed the ghosts of me and my mother laughing as they fell, unfazed by the darkness surrounding them.

"Will you always be around to help me, mommy?" I heard my younger self ask.

"Of course," my mother said happily, taking my younger self's hand. "I'll always be there for you."

And together, they disappeared from the darkness, leaving me alone. I sighed sadly and looked into the darkness I was still plummeting into.

"Bull," I whispered.

* * *

I jolted awake in a split second and sat upright, pressing my hand over my heart as it hammered away in my chest. If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought I was having heart palpitations. I couldn't breathe in the small inn room, my head was a mass of fuzz and fog, and I was having a bit of trouble keeping my eyes focused.

But when all that cleared, I got up from the bed as quietly as possible, grabbed my shoes and crept as quietly as I could from the room. The floor, thank goodness, was well made, and barely squeaked while I walked and hyperventilated at the same time.

Once I was outside, I walked down to the beach and sat on one of the wooden posts by the dock. The water lapped playfully at my toes, and I couldn't help but smile. It reminded me of a trip not too long ago to Duluth, MN, to see my aunt in her small cabin in Carlton. Anyway, we'd spent the day at Canal Park with her and my other aunt, and it had been like a trip into my childhood. I'd fed the seagulls there popcorn and Cheetos, and then I'd hopped along the rocks on the shore. The cold air had been relaxing and cool, just like fall in my hometown. Sitting there on the rocky beach in my jeans and sweater had been one of the most surreal moments in my life, which says quite a bit about my life; it's not very exciting.

I sighed and picked up two large stones off the beach and began some strength exercises I remember from playing the Wii Fit. Fun game, but it got boring really fast. Not to mention I couldn't even do a proper push-up without falling flat on my face. But I was slowly improving, and hopefully that would help me get stronger faster.

Training with Kratos had been getting easier and easier. I definitely felt exhausted most of the time, but since Lloyd joined us after leaving the Ossa Trail, Kratos' attention focused mostly on Lloyd. Nevertheless, the mercenary still trains me. As a bonus, my training allowed me to learn Mana Quake, my first Earth-based attack. Hooray for me!

I stopped doing rhythmic boxing and started some yoga, but I found it hard to keep my balance in the soft sand. Shrugging it off, I kicked off my shoes and leggings and wadded ankle deep into the salty water. I felt seaweed slowly wrap around them, but it was okay. I'd just clean it off later. It was better than washing off monster guts.

I spotted something hidden under the dock and grinned. It was a fishing pole. Oh snap! I love fishing! But was it okay to use something that was just sitting around? What if it was someone else's and they'd just gone home for a few minutes?

"Screw it," I muttered, snatching the pole off the wet sand. It was really simple and extremely old fashioned, but what had I been expecting? One of those super awesome fishing poles with a built in radar? Nah. This was good enough for me.

I retied the hook and baited it with a small piece of meat from a nearby pot, then cast it out into the foggy sea. I tugged the line a little, making sure I hadn't hooked a boat, then got comfortable. Fishing takes patience, and I have plenty of that when it comes to this sport. Once, I'd caught a bunch of sunnies in an hour, and I had only been ten years old! My uncle had ended up catching one of those fishes with the spiky bone fins, and it had stabbed him multiple times. Ah, the old days of my childhood…

I fished until the sun rose a little bit above the horizon, and by then I was muttering, "Here, fishy, fishy, fishy…" in a menacing tone. A normal action, I assure you. I tend to do this a lot.

Suddenly, after another half and hour of re-baiting and re-casting, I finally caught something. I was reeling in the line as fast as I could (without breaking said line) when Lloyd came up next to me, grinning.

"You like fishing, Ari?" Lloyd asked.

"Yeah!" I said through gritted teeth. "I love it! Just hold on a second! Let me reel this thing in…"

I turned my attention back to my fish and yanked one last time. My catch surfaced with a splash and landed in the bucket in front of me while I toppled backwards onto Lloyd. I stuck the fishing rod into the ground and lurched forward, kneeling happily over my catch.

Then my face fell.

"Oh…oh my god…"

"What?" Lloyd asked, leaning over the bucket. "What did you catch?"

"Oh…nothing," I said uneasily.

For all you readers out there who've never seen Bill Engvall, please take the time to go look up "Bill Engvall Fish" on Youtube or something. For those of you who've seen it, I'm guessing you know very well that I've just caught a…a…

"A Dorkfish," I said quietly, forcing back a laugh. "It's here too...?"

I grinned and poked the fish several times, enjoying my memories of the watching the Blue Collar Comedy Tour on Comedy Central. I'd watched it with my mom, but she'd been doing something else. I had been enjoying it to the max, but whenever I'd laughed, she'd ask what had just happened. Then I'd have to pause it to explain it to her, and…well, you get the idea.

"Ama Dorkfe-ish!" a voice from the bucket shouted.

I burst out laughing and slapped a hand to my head, unable to keep my composure any longer.

"Hey, this sure ain' the oce'n! Wha'm I doin' 'ere?" it asked me. I shook my head.

"Sorry about that. I caught you," I said with a wave of my hand. It stared at me with crossed eyes and flicked its tail.

"Y'all gone 'n caught me ona h'tdawg!"

"Hot dog? Oh, my god," I muttered, "Bill was right!"

"R' yoo gon'a eat meh?" it asked.

I shook my head.

"No. I'll let you go back now. Sorry about catching you."

I picked the bucket up and set it in the water, then watched the Dorkfish swim back out into the ocean. Ah, what a story that would make. That is, if anyone would believe me back on Earth.

"What the hell was that?!" Lloyd shouted, still in shock. "I've never seen that before!"

"It's called a Dorkfish. Or, that's what I call it. I mean, did you hear the way it was talking?"

"Yeah…that was pretty weird, but how'd you catch it? What bait?" Lloyd asked.

I tapped my cheek, then crouched over the small pot of bait near the bucket. "I used this stuff. Do you know what it is? The fish said it was a hot dog."

He leaned over it and sniffed it, then grimaced. "It's pork, but it's off. It smells bad."

I sniffed it, then grimaced and scooted backwards. "That is absolutely rank!" Yep, that's hot dog, but it was rotting.

"Hey Genis! Get over here and smell this!" Lloyd shouted.

I did an inner face plant. Oh my god, now I was thinking about Jeff Foxworthy's 'Courtesy Sniff' jokes. Ah, men and their predictability. I rubbed my nose, trying to get rid of the foul odor as Genis trudged across the beach, looking suspicious of Lloyd.

"What do you want, Lloyd?" he asked briskly. "Our boat is here. We have to go."

"Genis, smell this!" Lloyd said, shoving the pot in his friend's direction. Genis took one whiff, froze, and stumbled backwards, covering his nose with both hands.

"Jeez, Lloyd, that is so rancid! Where did you find it?!"

"Ari said she found it under the dock with a bunch of fishing supplies. It smells like rotting pork, doesn't it?!"

"What's going on, everyone?"

We turned to see Colette walking towards us, smiling brightly. Oh no...not her too, Lloyd.

"Ari found this stuff under the dock," Lloyd said. "She even caught a fish with it!"

"Colette, don't smell it!" Genis said, still covering his nose. "It's absolutely horrible!"

"Really?" Colette asked, looking confused. I nodded as I stood up and brushed off my backside.

"Seriously, Colette, I wouldn't advise it. It's rank."

"I'm sure it's not that bad," she said, taking the pot from Lloyd.

One whiff, and her eyes were watering.

"Wow!" she said, blinking several times. "That's…really smelly!"

I bit my lip, trying not to laugh, and distracted myself with the 'courtesy sniff' standings.

"Now let's see the score so far. Lloyd owes Genis and Colette one courtesy sniff, and I owe Lloyd one sniff. I believe that's right."

"Courtesy sniff?" Genis asked.

"It's a thing I saw once between a bunch of guys. When Man A shows Man B and C something that smells horrible, Man B and C must top Man A's smell. Which means B and C must find something that smells far worse than what A showed them. Make sense?"

"Does that mean Raine owes up a bunch of them?" Lloyd asked.

"No," I said. "It's mostly between men, but women can be involved as long as they know they are owed or owe a sniff."

"Oh, I get it," Genis said with a devilish grin. "So all I have to do is find something that smells worse than rotting pork…easy." He snapped his fingers.

"Oh, Lloyd, you are in for it now," I said with a grin.

Everyone laughed at my joke, and then we headed for the docks. My legs were covered in goosebumps now from the cold water, and I was about to ask Raine for my leg warmers when I realized something. I'd left them back in the Triet Inn. Oh crap…well, best not to dwell on past mistakes. But those would've come in real handy on the ocean, where it's windy and cold. Phooey…I'll have to customize a new pair in Palmacosta.

I helped Colette aboard the ship and headed to the prow, running my hands over the beautiful craftsmanship. It definitely wasn't an ordinary fishing boat. Was it even a fishing boat at all? It was more like a big cargo ship. The entire hull of the ship was filled with boxes and bags. It smelled like fish, too. Eww.

"Hey Raine, who owns this ship?" I called to her. She was clinging to the main mast like a wrench to a screw.

"A m-merchant f-f-family from P-Palmacosta owns-s it," she stammered. I sprinted over to her and put a hand on her arm.

"Raine, do you get motion sickness?"

"A little," she muttered, loosening her grip on the mast.

"I get it too," I said with a grin. "I get really sick when I do."

"Small world," she replied, giving me a shaky smile. I smiled back and headed up towards the prow again, but this time Lloyd, Genis, and Colette were there, smiling at the horizon. Their eyes were full of determination, and it made me smile. They were gearing up for huge adventure, and they didn't even know the half of it. Were they ready for the hardships ahead? Would we survive the Seals, as well as the Tower of Salvation?

The answer to that silly question is, of course, one big fat _HELL YEAH!!_

And so, with eyes blazing with strength and resolve, we set sail, setting our sights on the far horizon, heading for Palmacosta, Governor General Dorr, Magnius, and the next seal.

Now if only I could remember the order of events to come…heh heh…

* * *

So, this chapter kind of ended up as a kind of happy nonsense chapter. I hope you didn't mind the dorkfish thing, but I had to stick that in there. After all, the dorkfish obviously fell through a rip in the dimensional wall and dropped into the California desert (or wherever that was). That's the only possible answer.

Okay, now for the details of the chapter

1. The song from my dream is called The Heart of Reiki by Andreas Mock. It's album is Merlin's Magic Healing Harmony. You can find it on Imeem, so check it out if you have the time. It's really soothing. You can click the link from my profile. Vote in the pole, while you're at it.

2.** Deadpan Snarker**: Usually one who is 'rude to no end' or very sarcastic.

3. **Lethal Chef**: This is too obvious to describe...

4. The Dorkfish. The Courtesy Sniff. Go watch the clips on Youtube. 'nuff said.

I think that's everything. Have a great day/night! I hope to update within a week or two, if school allows it!


	8. Socked with Cleaning Duty

Greetings, readers. I'm glad to see the number of visitors to my story has risen, though I don't know if they're new people, or people who are trying to re-read the story. Oh, well...

Anyhoo, I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter. This chapter was the reason behind Chapter 7's long absence. I apologize. I did not intend to take so long. So this chapter kind of skips around a little, and I got bored with it really fast. Again, I'm sorry.

Now, for a little screentime for the reviewers:

I'd like to give a huge hug and a giant cookie to _ShadedUmbreon_, who gave me one of the best comments I'd ever heard! Shaded, I just about died when you sent me this, and I can only hope that I can get as good as Venus Tenshi! That would be a miracle! Let's hope I can reach that height and make you all like my story even more. Maybe even rope in some new readers! Also, I saw your other reviews from previous chapters and believe me, I have stuff planned. So don't try and guess too much, or you'll give it all away. Be careful! XD

And now, going completely off topic...If any of you are going to Anime Detour in MN, please send me a message before Friday! Maybe I'll get to see some of you! XD That'd be great, and I'd know even more people there! Contact me!

**Don't own, don't sue. Flame and you die.**

* * *

Chapter 8: Socked with Cleaning Duty

I…

Am…

B-o-r-e-d…

Bored, bored, bored, bored, and BORED!!

…urgh…

Did I mention I was bored?

I was lying stomach up on a pile of boxes near the back of the ship, watching the gulls fly overhead while humming random tunes that popped into my head.

"Anyone on this floating box have any paper I can use? There's nothing to do for fun on this ding-dang-dong hunk of wood!" I shouted at the sky. The captain threw me the sixth evil glare today, and I added, "Though I must say this is a finely crafted, floating hunk of wood! I have never seen a greater attention to detail than on this beautifully crafted vessel!"

The captain went back to ignoring me, and I sighed and rolled onto my stomach. It was around noon of day 2 on our sea voyage, and there's nothing to do but train with Kratos, sleep, and talk to oneself. The food was a bit nasty, too, and we had to pay for it.

Which means some of us have to work as staff. Colette was the Chosen, so she didn't have to do anything big, Genis was too small to do much except cook, Lloyd and Kratos were almost always training, which provided the crew with entertainment, and Raine was busy sleeping off her motion sickness in the infirmary. That left me with most of the odd jobs any of the captain could come up with.

Which meant cleaning every inch of the boat with the crew.

Let's get one thing straight. _I am not a neat and tidy person_. My room looks like it got hit by a nuclear bomb. I clean my room maybe three times a year tops, and I couldn't care less about anyone seeing it messy. No one goes in there but me, so it never really matters, but my mother would always hound me to clean.

I groaned and rolled onto my back again. I was on my second break today, and I was working as hard as I could, but time didn't seem to be moving. The only things moving were the crewmembers and the waves that splashed around the ship. We were moving way too slowly for my liking, but I get really anxious and fidget when there's nothing to do. I could barely sit still at my old job back home.

"Hey, kid! Break's over!" the captain hollered at me. "Get back to work."

"Sure, boss," I groaned as I rolled off the boxes I was sprawled out on. I landed easily on the deck and trudged back down into the tiny excuse for a mess hall. Believe me, it was really tiny, even with the tables all pushed up against the far wall. How they were going to get about people in here to eat was beyond my comprehension. But, hey, it's not my job to overwork my already-overworked brain today. Let's save that for the human ranch coming up.

"Okay, you can start by mopping the floor," the crewmember overseeing my work said quickly, "and then you can help the others get lunch together. If you're fast enough, maybe I can get the captain to give you a better job. Maybe something up on deck."

"Right-o," I said with a salute. He smirked and handed me a stiff-bristled broom and bucket.

"Make sure you clean up everything."

"Aye aye, cap'n."

The man stifled a laugh and said, "I'll be back in two hours to see your progress."

He left right after he said that, and I made a face at his back. At least it was better than saying something that could end up with me in the brig. Wait…did they even have a brig? I don't think it was a pirate ship. Would they have one on a small cargo ship?

I carried the bucket to the other side of the room and dumped some of the water on the floor, then began scrubbing. I guess you could probably compare this activity to Sophie cleaning Howl's castle in _Howl's Moving Castle_. Of course, I'm not that old and I'm extremely less motivated. I can't even come close to her drive. But the floor definitely needed the attention. Jeez, there was like a layer of grease and sea salt covering every inch of it, and some of the mixture had even seeped into the floorboards themselves, making it a little slippery. So much for that sealing stuff. What did they use? Wax? No, that made things waterproof. And the smell! Jeez, how could anyone stand to eat in there?! It reeked of fish guts and salt water.

Suddenly there was a small explosion from the kitchen door, and a large puff of white smoke erupted from the small space under the door. Several coughs followed suit.

"Genis? You okay in there?" Poor kid must've misread a recipe or something.

There were several more coughs, then two white-covered people stumbled out, hacking up a storm.

"Ah! Ghosts!" I cried out in sarcasm. I flailed my arms in mock surprise. "They are going to eat my soul!"

"Oh be quiet," Genis muttered. "It's just flour."

"I'm sorry," the other person said. "If I hadn't dropped that bag, then…"

"Colette, is that you?" I asked.

"Yeah."

Both of them were covered from head to toe in flour, but Genis seemed to have taken the brunt of the explosion.

"Okay, now just answer me this. How did you manage to cover yourself entirely in flour?" I asked out of curiosity. Colette smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, well, I was holding two bags of flour while Genis was mixing something, and I dropped one bag on his head by accident and covered him in flour, then I sneezed and fell backwards, and that bag ended up covering everything else in flour...including me."

"Uh…huh…okay. Then I suggest you get cleaned up and get back to cooking before boss-man captain throws a fit about his lack of cooking supplies."

Both of them nodded and headed for our room, but then I yelled sarcastically, "Oi! I just scrubbed that! You're tracking white all over my semi-clean floor!"

I heard Colette shout a stream of "I'm sorry"s at me, but she stopped when Genis said I was just teasing. She laughed. God, she was so cute! A little dim, but cute.

So I went back to mopping for the next hour or so. By then, Colette and Genis had returned to cooking, and I was almost done scrubbing the dang floor clean! It was spotless, in my opinion, but that probably meant it was still dirty. I have a very loose sense of the word 'clean'.

Then that crewmember guy from before came back in and took the cleaning stuff away, saying that it was almost time for dinner and that I could head back up on deck. I grinned and completely took advantage of that offer.

As soon as I smelled think sea air, I sighed and smiled out of nothing more that sheer enjoyment. I was sailing! On the ocean! In Sylvarant! The mere concept of being here lifted my heart into my throat, and I knew that this was where I wanted to remain for a long time. Oh no, I was going sappy again. But it was true.

I yawned and stretched my arms, then headed up to the prow of the ship. Lloyd and Kratos had taken a break, by the looks of Lloyd's dozing form near the railing. Kratos was leaning on the opposite railing, sharpening his sword with a rock. Wait, where'd he get a rock?

"Hey, Kratos. How's Lloydykins? Is he improving?" I called.

Kratos nodded, but gave no other motion that he'd heard me. I frowned and sat down next to Lloyd.

"So…Kratos, how'd you get into the mercenary business?"

He remained silent.

"Fine. Be a pill. I don't care," I muttered.

He remained stoic as he finished sharpening his blade, then sheathed it with a flick of his wrist.

"Ari, we need to train. You've been slacking more than Lloyd," he said firmly.

I opened my mouth to deny my slacking, but the intensity of his glare was too much. I surrendered. Hey, you would if he started glaring daggers at you. Jeez, his glare could make grown men cry. It kind of makes you wonder how violent Anna was, since she put up with him and all. She was probably his pimp. I grinned at the thought of Anna looming over Kratos, her gaze more intense than Kratos' could ever be.

So this lesson was no different than the last few, so I could hardly say I was learning new material. Just the same old one-two punch as before, and he even allowed me to try some kicks out, which ended with me falling over every time. Owie. But at least it gave me a moment away from the cleaning. That was a plus. But then more of the crew started gathering around us, and I was beginning to feel very self-conscious. I don't like people, especially when they're watching me.

"You've improved a little since our last lesson, Ari," Kratos said during a small break. "But you keep second guessing my techniques, which is why you keep missing your target. Is there something bothering you?"

I shook my head, but my thoughts continuously turned back to my battle with the Sword Dancer, and then to my dream. Loneliness…I was the only one on this planet from Earth, and I had no one to talk to. No one was here for me to rant to, not one person was around to counter my jokes with the right phrase. I didn't like it. It was like living in the countryside or in isolation. No Internet, no microwave meals, no cable TV, _no TV_ _in general_, not even a sewing machine to mend my clothes with. I was going to lose my mind!

"Let's stop for today," Kratos said out of nowhere. "We'll pick up once you're ready to train without distractions."

He stood up and walked away, and I made a face at his back. Jerk. What did he know about…oh, right…4,000 years old angel with a dead wife and a presumably dead son, not to mention two friends who want to bite each other's hypothetical heads off (i.e. Yuan + Renegades vs. Mithos Yggdrasil). I guess than counted as loneliness. Okay, I _know_ that counts.

I pinched my necklace between my fingers and watched the sea roll by. This was my first time at sea, and I've heard that boats rock a lot, but this much rocking wasn't even close to the torture my brother had put me though in Disneyworld. My mom and I had invited my brother and his family on a trip down there when I was about 13, and he'd insisted I go on the rides with him. I refused outright, but I'd gotten on anyway just to shut him up.

Big mistake. The ride had been a motion-based ride, and the small monitors had shown us that we'd been 'launched into space.' I'd laughed my head off to keep from barfing, but I'd still thrown up a kidney after we'd gotten off. That had been the lowest point in the vacation.

"Ari, are you okay?"

I looked up from my spot next to the still-sleeping Lloyd to see Colette standing next to me. She sat down next to me. "You look pale."

"I'm okay," I said as I pressed a hand to my mouth, feeling a lump rise in my throat. "I just don't like all this rocking…"

"I don't think the Professor does either," she said. I glanced past her at Raine, who had burst out of the infirmary and was promptly hurling over the side of the ship. I grimaced.

"I had a hunch… After all, she was really reluctant to get on board."

Colette was silent for a minute, then said, "I'm sorry if I'm being nosy, Ari, but this has been bothering me for a while. Well, I wouldn't say bothering, but it's just I'm really curious, and you haven't said any-"

"Colette, just ask your question. No need to beat around the bush."

"Okay. Um…where did you get that necklace?"

I blinked, then put a hand to the warm silver stone that hung around my neck.

"I've always had this," I said. "I never take it off, and I never lose it. I'd go ballistic if I did."

"Really? Do you know who made it? And why is it a tree?"

"Uh…well, I don't know who made it, but that doesn't really matter to me. It's my special treasure." I grinned. "It's a tree because I love nature, and I believe the story of Mithos the Hero is true, unlike some people." That was definitely not a spoiler. I said that I believed it, not that I knew it was true. Yay, loophole!

"Oh, so it's meant to be the Giant Kharlan Tree?" Colette guessed.

"Not that tree exactly. I just believe that the tree is the source of all life and mana. It provides us with air, shade, and fruit, and it sings on windy days."

"Sings?"

"When the wind blows through its branches, it's like it's singing about the gentleness of nature. Maybe I'm just crazy to think this," I added, scratching the back of my head.

"You're really different, Ari. You see the good in everything."

"Nah, I just choose not to see the bad. I think that if I ignore it sometimes, it will go away." I hugged my knees. "Not to mention my grip on reality is really loose."

"Why do you say that?"

I sighed, looked up at the sky, and said, "I've always wanted to fly. Just sprout wings and fly away. Leave everything behind and feel nothing but the joy of flight. But I'm no angel, so I'm stuck down here." I shook my head. "But it's okay. It's just a childish dream anyway."

"No it's not," Colette interrupted. "Don't brush off your dreams like nothing. If we don't have dreams, then we have nothing to work hard for."

"Yeah…I guess you're right. But mine's impossible, so I'm going to focus on other things."

"Like what?"

"Well, I'm going to make as many friends as possible so I won't be lonely. Then I'm going to meet some aliens, and then I'm going to get married and write the best book in existence!"

"Aliens?" Colette was giving me a confused look, and I grinned.

"Creatures not of this planet!" I said in a spooky voice as I made 'scary' motions with my hands. "They live among the stars and watch us with technology far beyond our comprehension."

She laughed, but I was mentally hitting myself for opening my big mouth. Did they have those kinds of instances here? Any alien sightings? Probably not. They'd think it was the work of angels or something. Maybe I'm just being dense, but what do I really know? I'm the alien. Oh, the irony of it all!

"Wha'z all the laughing 'bout?" Lloyd muttered as he sat up.

"Sorry for waking you, Lloyd," I said quietly. "Didn't mean to."

He rubbed his eyes and pushed his hair back into place, yawning loudly. "Wha' time's it?"

"Dinner's served!" a crew member shouted from the mess hall.

"Perfect timing," I chimed happily. "Time for some good old munchies made by our little master chef!"

"Do you think Raine's well enough to eat something?" Colette asked.

"Usually when someone's sick, they can't eat big meals, so we'd have to bring her something she'll be able to keep down." I averted my eyes from the infirmary door. "I'd rather not clean up vomit before dinner, so I'll eat fast and bring her something."

"We'll come too, Ari," Lloyd said. Of course, Colette nodded in agreement and started beaming at me, so I gave in.

"Fine. But let's grab something for us first."

"Sure."

* * *

"I appreciate your concern for my wellbeing," Raine said quietly, "but there's no need. We'll be in Palmacosta by tomorrow, and I'll get better there."

"But you have to eat, Raine," Genis insisted. I looked at the floor and gave a quiet sigh. When he'd heard that Raine still hadn't emerged from the infirmary, he'd been adamant about seeing her. So he'd tagged along to her bedside, and here we are, trying to get the poor woman to eat.

"He's right, Raine," Colette said firmly. "Just lying around won't get you better."

"But it makes me feel better. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get some sleep."

With that, she rolled over onto her other side, faced the wall, and began to doze. The crew member in the room urged us to go and eat, but Genis stayed put, taking a seat in the chair next to the bed.

"We'll bring you some food, Genis," I said quietly. He nodded in thanks and took out a small pocket notebook and pencil, promptly scribbling something down on the wrinkled paper.

Lloyd, Colette and I left the infirmary and headed down into the mess hall, our stomachs rumbling. Well, it was mostly Lloyd and me. We were practically a symphony, complete with percussion and tubas. No, not really, but we were still in tune. Heh…I suck at comedy.

We shoveled a bit of the large pot pie onto our plates and sat down in the back, near Kratos. He was picking at his food, and when we showed up, he stood up, tossed his plate in the trash, and headed back out on deck.

"Goddess, I really want to sock him in the face sometimes," I muttered as I glared at his disappearing back. "He's so distant, and he wasted Genis' cooking! It's mutiny!"

"Ari, calm down," Colette said quietly. I looked down at her, realized that half the crew was throwing odd glances at me, and sat down.

"I'm done venting in front of people," I muttered as I picked up my fork. "Everyone looks at me like I'm crazy."

"You're not crazy," Lloyd said. "You're just…a little insane."

"Same difference," I grumbled as I chewed a piece of meat. "Gotta love being the freak."

"Um…so, Ari," Colette said quickly, "what do you like to do when you're at home?"

_Oh, I see. She's trying to bring me out of my sour mood. _

"Hmm…well, I like drawing and writing. I also like beading and making jewelry, and folding paper. I dance a little bit, but nothing worth seeing. But I do love music. I'm what you might call 'music oriented'. I find it helps me relax."

"Jeez, you have crazy mood swings!" Lloyd muttered.

I smirked behind my hand and said, "Get used to it, man. It's how all women are, and I'm just a luatic. I dance to a whole different beat."

He rolled his eyes and dug into his food, completely blowing my statement off. What could you expect, though? Some guys are like that, and some…oh, forget I said anything.

* * *

It was easy to sleep that night, thanks to the rocking of the ship, and I slept for what felt like several days. But all good things never last, and I woke up just as dawn approached. It took me a second to find my shoes, both of which had rolled a few feet away, but I found and yanked them on and walked quietly out onto the deck.

The crisp sea breeze ruffled my hair and raised goose bumps on my arms, and yet I felt at so at peace that it was like a dream. If only life could be like this. Wandering the world, no ties to anyone but your good friends, and plenty of places to explore. Heh…no filing taxes or worrying about paying rent. Just sleeping under the stars and fighting off monsters.

Right then, a song from Pirates of the Caribbean popped into my head. I began humming it, then singing it as I walked along the ship railing. It was short, which was good. I liked it. Maybe some of you know it. _Hoist the Colors High_, anyone?

"_The king and his men stole the queen from her bed…/and bound her in her Bones…  
The seas be ours, and by the powers…/Where we will, we'll roam…"_

I quickly glanced over my shoulder, checking to see if the crew had heard anything. The only people on deck were the captain and the first mate, and they were busy chatting about something I couldn't decifer. I took a deep breath then continued.

"_Yo, ho…haul together…Hoist the colors high…/Heave ho…thief and beggar…Never say 'We die…'_

_Some men have died, and some are alive/and others sail on the sea  
with the keys to the cage...And the Devil to pay/we lay to Fiddler's Green…_

_The bell has been raised from its watery grave.../Do you hear its sepulchral tone?  
We are a call to all, pay head the squall/and turn your sail toward home!_

_Yo, ho, haul together, hoist the colors high. /Heave ho, thieves and beggars, never shall we die."_

I continued humming it and watched the sun come up and turn the sky bright pink and deep blue. It was like one of my random excursions with Photoshop and a camera, where I'd warp the saturation to a breaking point. Ah, good times…good times…I missed my laptop. And the Internet! Life without the Net was hard! I loved going on Youtube and watching stupid videos and TV show clips, but what I missed the most was my Ipod; my source of infinite music. That was one of the things I treasured the most. Classic piano, trance, electronic, rock, r&b, alternative, and even a little metal; I liked it all. Even that weird music you hear in huge churches. You know, the music where there's a latin choir singing eerily in the background? That's the stuff.

"You seem well rested."

I looked to my right, spying Kratos leaning on the main mast casually. He looked well rested as well, but that raised the question about his own sleeping habits.

"Yeah. I didn't have any nightmares for once." I fiddled with my Exsphere for a moment, then said, "I'm ready to train."

"Are you really?" he asked, taking a step towards me.

"Yeah. I am," I said firmly as I folded my arms over my chest. He was not going to size me up this morning.

"Very well. Then we'll start with simple hand to hand combat." He unclipped his sword and its sheath from his belt and set it on the deck near the mast, then turned back to me. "Let's begin."

I curled my hands into fists and took up the stance he'd branded onto my brain after nearly three weeks of travel, and then, after sucking in a long, deep breath, I threw several punches at him. Each were neatly blocked and countered, which I blocked in return. It took me several tries to even get close to hitting him completely, and when I did, he ended up tripping me and made me land on my butt. Hard.

"You left your legs open to an attack," he said simply. "Don't keep them locked like that, or you'll leave yourself open to a rear attack."

"Makes sense," I mumbled under my breath. I took up the stance again, and everything started all over. Punch, miss, punch, miss, punch, hit, land on back. You gotta love training with Kratos. No, not really. That's my sarcasm talking.

Suddenly the captain shouting "Land ho!" from the ship's steering wheel.

"We're here!" I shouted. I turned to Kratos. "Are we done?"

"I suppose."

I grinned and sprinted to the prow of the ship, every nerve in my body so light that I almost felt like collapsing. I could see Palmacosta! I grinned and began rocking back on my heels as I clung to the railing. I was going to see Palmacosta!! The city on the sea! Was it going to look like those pictures of Venice I'd found on the Internet? Or would it be more like a small Duluth? I couldn't count the visions I had of the port going through my mind, but that was the point, wasn't it? Imagining all the wonderful things to come! It was an adventure in itself, and I was glad to be a part of it.

Just then, Genis stumbled up onto the deck, dragging a half conscious Lloyd towards me. He was muttering incoherent sentences, mostly at how heavy Lloyd was.

"Ari, can you help me wake him up?" Genis called to me. "We need to get ready to get off the ship."

"Sure, Genis," I replied as I sprinted over to him. "We could always wave Raine's cooking in his face."

"No, no time for that. Just zap him or something."

"Why not you?"

"Because I'd end up zapping the whole ship."

He had a point. Not to mention the impact of magic striking the ship might sink it.

"Okay, gimme some room. I'm going to use water mana to wake him up."

I walked to the ship railing and cleared my mind, solidifying an image of water surrounding my hand, just like Katara in _Avatar_. Soon, the real thing gathered in my hand, forming a globe about the size of a cantaloupe around my fist. It was definitely an odd feeling, but I was too distracted to think on it.

I carried the small sphere of water over to Lloyd and held it over his head.

"Ready, Genis? On three. One…"

"Three!" he shouted.

I dropped the globe of water right onto Lloyd's unprotected face. The shock of cold water and the sea breeze made him snap his eyes open and flail almost like a cat batting a string.

"GWAAGH!! What's going on?!" he shouted.

"You're on deck. Palmacosta's just up ahead," Genis said with an innocent smile.

"But why'd you dump water on me?"

"You wouldn't stop muttering stuff," I replied bluntly. "So I doused you with a little sea water."

Lloyd grimaced and spat out a bit of water. "A little water?! You nearly drowned me!"

"Only because I care, Lloyd," I said sweetly. "Only because I care."

I helped him up and we walked to along the railing as Genis went to wake up Colette and Raine.

"So, Lloyd, I'm going to take a wild guess and say you've never been to Palmacosta before, have you?"

"Nope," he said simply. "But that's one of the good parts of coming on this journey, aside from seeing Colette become an angel."

"Y-yeah…," I said in a half mumbled. I'd almost cracked. I had to pay more attention to things being said. But it wasn't like I could say anything 'spoilerific.' Yay for the censor!

"Have you ever been to Palmacosta?" he asked.

"Hmmm…I came here a few years ago, I think, but I don't remember much. My memory sucks when it comes to certain subjects. For example, I hate math with a fiery passion, history is not my cup of potion, and for all I care, listening to lectures is a total drag."

"Agreed. I'd rather not sit in a boring classroom all day and listen to lectures."

I grinned and turned my gaze back to Palmacosta, which could be easily seen by now. Was it just me, or was this journey getting better? I had explored the Triet Ruins, traveled the Ossa Trail, and now I was sailing to Palmacosta. Could this get any better I ask you?!

* * *

Well, how did I do? I didn't put in a lot of effort with the last part of the chapter, but I hope you still enjoyed it a little.

Next time in MSI: Encounter with the Fake Chosen's Group! What happens when someone in the real Chosen's group knows about the Fake group? And what happens when Ari and Colette are forced to get jobs to pay off the Palma Potion?! Find out next time on Mindless Self Insertion!

Again, contact me about Anime Detour. I will in fact be cosplaying as Amaterasu from Okami and Marta Lualdi from ToS 2: Knight of Ratatosk. Booyah. And my badge will be The Wing Alchemist, so keep an eye out, and if you see me, say hi!! XD


	9. Accident Prone

Hi there, readers. Sorry it's taken so long, but high school has really been a drag. Let's just say I'm just about ready to scream. I hate my spanish class so much...

Anyway, I'm glad to see some kind souls have decided to vote in the poll in my profile. I'll be glad when it's time to really decide on what techs to use. It all depends on you folks.

**Don't own, don't sue. Flame and you die.**

* * *

Chapter 9: Accident Prone

Palmacosta looked like a small port town from the distance, but up close, it was like a downsized Oahu Island, like in the picture I'd posted on my deviantart page so long ago. The buildings stood almost four stories tall near the middle of the port, and the buildings grew smaller as they drew closer to the sea until they were no more than a single level. Most of them had walls of brick or stone with white framed windows, and some even had stairs that led up the side of the building to the upper floors. It was a welcome change, considering all the sailing and walking we'd done for the past week, if not more.

I couldn't keep myself from grinning as we disembarked from the boat and headed into the market portion of the city. The smells varied, but most were somewhat unpleasant, with a few nice ones mixed in. I grin quickly turned to a small grimace.

"Here we are!!" Lloyd said happily as he stretched his arms a bit. "I'm glad to be off that boat."

"Hey, at least you didn't have to clean!" I said. I jabbed him in the ribs with my elbow. "You slept almost as much as the Raine!"

"I heard that," the Professor grumbled behind us.

"That's not true!" Lloyd stated firmly. "I trained with Kratos!"

"Yeah, for a few hours every day!"

"Break it up, you two!" Genis said loudly. "People are starting to stare."

We immediately shut up and began walking. I didn't like being the center of attention just as much as anyone else here. So we wove our way through the morning throng of people gathered in the market and headed for town, away from the fish stink. After a while, it really started to get to you. It started to sting my eyes, too. Owie.

When we finally got away from the horrible smell, we were faced with a small dilemma.

"So what do we do now?" Lloyd asked, practically reading everyone's minds.

"Well," Raine began, "the Governor General of Palmacosta is supposed to have a book that points the Chosen towards each individual Seal. We need that book." She sounded serious, but there was a gleam in her eyes that craved the chance to look at the ancient book. But she would be denied that until Hakoneshia Peak. The imposters would see to it.

I kept my eyes open for any sign of them for a little while, but I was soon distracted by the awesomeness that was Palmacosta. Unlike the market, the actual city was well taken care of. The roads were grey cobblestone, and the bridges were simple but extremely well built. It looked as if years of dedication had gone into building every inch of the city. There were even signs every few blocks pointing you in the direction of major landmarks within the city, such as Main Square and the Governor-General's office, the Academy for Prodigies, and even the Market in the harbor. It was a truly amazing city. I couldn't help but marvel right alongside Lloyd and Colette. Raine and Genis were impressed as well, but they didn't show it as much, and Kratos was…well, he was being as stoic as ever.

Bonk. Crash.

"Oh no! The Palma Potion!"

"Oh no, I'm so sorry!"

Oh crap, not now…

I blinked several times, hoping I was only hallucinating the scene before me. Colette was sitting on the ground, the front hem of her dress dyed reddish pink with Palma Potion. The other girl had gotten off relatively cleanly, aside from her shoes being completely red. The remnants of the Palma Potion were destroyed; its liquid contents a massive puddle of pink on the cobblestone pavement.

"Colette, are you okay?" Lloyd asked. Colette nodded with a smile.

"It was an accident."

"You've got a lot of nerve!" the Fake Lloyd said with an expression that resembled that of a Pug. You know, that dog that has a squished face. Yeah, something like that. "You need to apologize for running into us!"

I was about to start spewing accusations that would expose them, but my voice disappeared, and I found myself unable to even speak. Why, hello there, Mr. Censor. Fancy meeting you here. You are starting to get very annoying. I wanted so badly to begin the interrogation as to why we should apologize, but Raine cut in first.

"I'm sure it was all an accident," she said simply. "We'll help you buy a new one."

"But that was a gift from one of the townspeople!" the Fake Raine retorted. "We don't have the money to buy a replacement."

"Then _we'll_ buy it," Lloyd said stupidly.

Oh, my god, I wanted to punch his lights out.

"How much are they?" he continued.

"They're a thousand Gald each," Fake Raine replied tersely.

I glared at Lloyd, whose pallor had gone from normal to the shade of an ill person. That's what you get for trying to be the perfect hero, Lloyd.

"So I guess that means we all get jobs?" I muttered, my voice returning. "Oh, great…"

"Oh come on, Ari," Colette said. "A job won't be so bad."

"Yeah, sure…let's start looking."

"We'll wait in town square until you're done. Have the potion by mid-afternoon, or else," the Fake Lloyd threatened. I forced back a laugh and walked away, my mood definitely taking a dive. I didn't want to work again…it was really no fun. But at least I didn't have to work for more than a day.

The first place we came to was the small pub. We were immediately directed elsewhere, since our group contained 'a bunch of kids.' I was so tempted to steal their Palma Potion and book it, but Raine kept her hand firmly locked onto my shoulder. She must've read the anger on my face. I quickly squashed it into the back of my mind and kept walking.

Before I could say 'I'm in love with David Tennant', we found ourselves standing outside the item shop, Marble's. I was surprised no one actually looked at the sign except for me, but I didn't point anything out. If anything, I didn't want to deal with it until I had to. Hurrah for procrastination!

"There's no way we're going to sell you any gels for a price that low!"

That must've been Chocolat.

Lloyd and Genis peeked inside the store as quietly as possible, then looked back at us.

"There are two Desians in there harassing the shop owners!"

I looked up and down the street and saw no other Desians. No reinforcements. Phew...

"Well, we're not charging in there. I'm sure we'd only end up causing the shop owners trouble," Raine said quickly. "Let's just wait. If there's trouble, we'll help them out."

"But-"

"Listen to Raine, Lloyd. If we barge in there, we might end up causing the shop owners even more trouble," Colette said.

"So…what do we do?" he asked, obviously at a loss for words.

But before we _could_ do anything, two Desians stomped out of the shop, their expressions livid. Their red-tinged cheeks reminded me of how I turned when I was embarrassed beyond help, such as when I'd have to stand in front of the class and give an oral report. All of that crap in school had sucked beyond measure. Wow, I've gone off topic again. Fancy that.

So, without any reason to keep us from entering the shop, we filed inside and began looking around. Bottles and jars lined every shelf, filling up most of the wall space available. Three barrels of what looked to be purified water sat in the corner behind the counter, right next to a long shelf of leather-bound books. I grinned and headed towards them, but I stopped when I read their spines. They were all recipe books. Not fun, if you ask me.

"Are you alright?" Lloyd asked Cacao.

Cacao smiled meekly and nodded. A lock of her light brown hair fell loose from the bun at her neck, and her deep brown eyes gleamed not with the fear I expected, but hope. She straightened her apron with a few brushes of her calloused hands and met Lloyd's worried gaze.

"I'm fine. Just a little skirmish with a few customers."

"They were more like bullies, if you ask me!"

Our attention was directed to a teenage girl leaning against the windowsill near the back stairs. Her chocolate brown hair hung down past her shoulders, despite being pulled back in a ponytail, and was streaked with golden blonde highlights. Her fierce brown eyes matched her hair color to a T, and dared anyone to get near her. She was a rebel at heart; that much was easy to see.

"Chocolat! Watch your tongue," Cacao said sternly. "Honestly, that mouth of yours will get you into so much trouble, one day!"

_Lady, you don't even know the half of it_, I thought as I rolled my eyes.

"I'm sorry," Cacao continued quickly, turning back to us with a smile. "My name is Cacao, and this is my daughter, Chocolat. We own this shop. Are you looking to buy anything, or do you plan to sell?"

"Actually," Genis began, "we're looking to find a job. We need to buy a Palma Potion, and we don't have enough for that _and_ an inn room."

"Ah, I see," Cacao said. "Well, then I'd suggest going to the academy. I heard they had a few job openings there."

"They're still open," Chocolat said with a shrug. "In fact, the chef's assistant had to take a few days off. His wife had a baby yesterday."

"Oh, that's right! We'll have to bring them a gift sometime," Cacao said as she clasped her hands in front of her chest. "I wonder how they're doing…"

"Wait, so there's a job open at the school?" Lloyd asked.

Chocolat shrugged, stepping up next to her mother. "Several, as far as I know, but I can't stick around. I have to get to my own job."

"You have two jobs?" I asked.

"Of course. We need more than one way to keep the shop open. We need to keep it going until Grandma gets back."

I felt a chill run up my spine at the mention of Marble. Poor Chocolat and Cacao. It just wasn't fair. It had all been an accident, and yet Chocolat would blame Lloyd for everything. Just great.

"Alright, everyone, let's get moving," I said quickly as I headed for the door. "We have a deadline to keep." No one objected, until we realized we didn't know our way around Palmacosta yet. So we ended up asking Cacao for directions after Chocolat had left.

We headed for town square next, taking several turns, and immediately found ourselves faced with the Palmacosta Academy. It looked nothing like my school on Earth, that's for sure! It was four stories tall with pale yellow walls and a brown roof. Its windows were small, probably the only things allowing sunlight into the school. To be perfectly honest, it made me feel a bit nauseous.

"Hey, Genis," Lloyd called. "Didn't you get an offer to go to school here?"

"Yeah," the little guy said with a nod, "I did, but I turned it down."

"Why did you do that?" I asked. "I'm sure you would've done well here."

"I just…didn't want to go. I would've had to leave Iselia for a long time, and that would've meant leaving all my friends."

"You'd do well anywhere, Genis," Raine said encouragingly.

"Your sister has a point, Genis," I added. "You're a teen genius."

**~Genis obtained the title: Teen Genius~**

Genis' face turned an adorable shade of pink at the compliment, enforcing the fact that he was completely embarrassed. Sometimes, when he wasn't being totally smart-alecky, he was really cute. Like how you'd imagine a perfect little brother, but with pointy ears, an impossible 5.0 GPA, and the double the IQ of Bill Gates.

"This kid? A genius?" a snarky voice asked. "I highly doubt it!"

We turned around and met the gazes of several students, all sneering like they owned the world. They wore what looked to be the uniforms of the academy and carried monstrously huge textbooks in their skinny arms.

"And just who are you?" Lloyd asked, returning their sneers with a glare.

"_We_ are the elite class of the Palmacostan Academy for Prodigies, and there is no way a twerp like this could _ever_ get into our school!"

Aaaaaaaand cue my internal rage. I wanted to break something, but I'd get arrested for hitting a kid, even if he deserved it. I hate laws so much, sometimes! It's so not fair!

"Genis could so get into your school! He was offered a full scholarship to this place!" Lloyd shouted.

"Really? Then how about we take a test to see who's smarter? If he can beat us, I'll take back what I said about him."

"Lloyd, let's just go," Genis said. "I don't-"

"You're on!" Lloyd said, ignoring him. I sighed and slapped a hand to my forehead. His pride wouldn't let him back down, I guess. Was that how it was with most men? It certainly seemed like it. It was even worse on Earth, though.

"Meet in the third floor classroom in twenty minutes," the boy said with a smirk.

"That is, if you don't chicken out first!" the girl added, pushing her glasses up her nose. She and her friends laughed loudly and walked inside, and I distinctly heard one of them snort.

I groaned and turned to Lloyd.

"Did you by any chance forget about that Palma Potion we were supposed to buy, as well as the fact that we still need money for an inn room?" I asked, my tone bordering on a hiss.

"That stuff can wait. Let's go get ready for the test."

"Count me out," I replied hotly. "I'm going to get a job so we can get the money we need to sleep in a bed tonight. I am _not_ sleeping outside again because of your constantly-gabbing mouth and oversized ego."

_No, I didn't actually say that._ I just sighed and followed them up the steps. I really can't stand up to people I've known for a little while. Once we've hit Hima or something, I'll start acting the way I want to. But hopefully I'd change before then. I don't really want to be bitchy or anything to everyone, but it's like it's been burned into my personality. I can't help it. Personally, I blame the educational system and poorly made cafeteria food.

Anyway, we headed into the school, and I immediately felt the overwhelming urge to book it right back outside. The halls smelled of floor polish and moving bodies, and the walls were covered in signs that read 'Don't litter' and 'Respect your teachers and those around you'. Oh my god, gag me.

I cringed and kept my eyes steely, trying not to flash back to my memories. Remembering them wouldn't do any good. In the end, I wouldn't be able to talk to anyone about them. I couldn't rant here. I could always keep a journal and a pen nearby. Yeah! I'd have to buy one once we had enough money!

After a quick lecture from Raine on stuff I had no clue about, we headed up to the second floor classroom, pausing only to wish Genis luck. After all, his test was the one that mattered. The rest of us were just there for the ride. The students from outside were already seated in the right section of seats, looking as if they ruled the world around them. The kings and queens of their domain.

We took the seats on the left side of the room and readied ourselves for the test, but I could see Genis fidgeting with his pencil. He looked so nervous at that moment that I couldn't help but nudge Lloyd, who was sitting in front of me.

"Give Genis some encouragement," I whispered. Lloyd nodded and waved at Genis, obviously trying to get the kid's attention. When Genis looked up, Lloyd did the cheesiest thing ever. He flashed Genis a thumbs-up and grinned. I smacked my hand to my forehead as quietly as possible. _Lloyd, you never do that when it comes to encouraging someone! Talk about lame!_

"We will now begin the test," the instructor, an old man, called out. "Please keep your eyes on your paper and turn it face down when you finish."

The test itself wasn't very long, but I think you can guess how hard the questions were for me, seeing as these past few weeks I've been training with Kratos and not doing schoolwork with the others. I never understood how Lloyd could juggle both of them, and I've already asked him several times what his secret is, but he just blows it off.

_Anyway, let's look at the first question_, I thought to myself.

1. There are four Summon Spirits scattered across Sylvarant. Name them and their element.

~~Piece of cake! Ifrit of fire, Undine of water, Sylph of wind, and Luna and Aska of light. Next question!

2. When attempting a spell, what is the first thing you must do before gathering energy?

~~Uh…make sure your allies are not within the spell's firing range?

3. The herb known as Saffron is said to increase what attribute in one's battle statistics?

~~Oh, you are kidding me!!!!

* * *

Two hours later, the tests were in, and to be honest I was ready to kick Lloyd through a wall for making us take it. I've never experienced a test where I knew close to absolutely nothing about what was on it! It had been a nightmare! And to top it off, I'd started dozing about halfway through it! But at least I'd finished BSing every question I didn't know. I was glad that some were multiple choice, too. Those probably saved me.

"Alright, we have the test results," the instructor announced, the papers in his wrinkled hands. "From lowest to highest, we have Lloyd, with 53 points."

"Yahoo!" Lloyd whooped as he punched the air.

"That's the best score you've ever gotten, Lloyd!" Colette chirped happily.

The instructor cleared his throat loudly, silencing both of them, and continued. "Next is Ari, with a score of 101-"

"Hell yeah!" I shouted. "Best and only score ever!"

"_Only_ score?!" the student next to Genis cried. "You've never taken this before?!"

I shook my head as a large vein began throbbing in the instructor's forehead. That was my cue to sit down and shut my trap.

"Next is Colette, with 306 points, then Kratos with a score of 378 points. After that is Raine, with 398. Anthony, you scored 399 points, and Genis, you scored…a perfect paper; four hundred points."

Lloyd and I erupted with cheers while the others clapped and offered warm smiles. Genis grinned happily at all of us, then turned to the student, Anthony, and offered his hand.

"Good job," he said.

Anthony nodded and shook Genis' hand warily. "Yes. I hope I get another chance to test with you again. It was…interesting…having a rival and all."

I headed out into the hallway with Colette and Lloyd, still grinning.

"I'm glad he did so well," Colette said with a small smile.

"Yeah," Lloyd said, nodding. "You think he'll start going here soon?"

I shrugged. "That's all up to the little genius."

Lloyd scuffed the floor with the tip of his boot, his eyes suddenly sad. "I don't-"

At that moment, there was a crash from farther down the hall, in the stairwell. It sounded like someone had dropped a bunch of glasses or plates. I sprinted down the hall and leaned over the stairwell banister, trying to see what had happened.

A young girl, perhaps fifteen or sixteen, was buried under a layer of broken dishes and silverware, a large cart tipped over at her feet near the bottom of the staircase. I could tell she was really banged up, even though I was a floor up.

"Are you okay?" I called as I hopped down the stairs as quickly as possible, Lloyd and Colette on my heels. "What just happened?"

"N-nothing!" the girl squeaked as she sat up carefully. "I just had a bit of a fall, that's all. I just need to get all the dishes…to…THE DISHES!!!"

As soon as she said that, she fainted, completely out cold. Her head would've hit broken ceramic, had I not put myself between her and the shards first. Sharp edges bit my arms and elbows, but I bit my tongue and began hauling the girl up the stairs, towards the open arms of Lloyd. You never realize how heavy someone your age is until you've had to drag them up a flight of stairs by yourself.

"Is she okay?" Lloyd asked.

"Yeah, she just passed out. She'll be fine in a little bit."

"What's going on?!"

We turned and glanced at a man who looked to be the principal of the academy, or somewhere around that rank. He wore a scholar's robe, but it looked like it was made of a better fabric than the others worn by the instructors.

"Are you the headmaster?" I asked. "We just had a bit of a scare here. Nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry-?! You're bleeding all over my staircase!"

I jumped at his tone and looked at my arms. Sure enough, through the cloth of my arm-length gloves, blood had begun to trickle down my arms, but it was hardly anything to make a fuss over. I saw maybe _one_ red dot on the hardwood.

"I'm sorry. I'll get that taken care of. But can you help us get her to the infirmary?" I motioned towards the still-passed out girl in Lloyd's arms.

"Yes, yes, of course. It's this way." He looked slightly concerned, but his voice was filled with poorly hidden anxiety. I groaned. He was selfish too. He was expecting us to follow him with the girl it tow. Was it just me, or was every person at this school somewhat snoody? He could of at least offered a hand!

Well, Lloyd and I ended up carrying the girl all the way down to the first floor and into the infirmary, which was the same was any other room with a nurse; white, cold, and plain. I was glad to get my arms checked out by a professional, though. Raine was a good healer and all, but when it came to high quality care, she didn't always have the right equipment. This nurse did.

"Oh, this isn't so bad, headmaster," she said chidingly. "All she did was get a few scrapes, and Hilary is just overworked." She sighed. "You're far too tense."

The headmaster huffed and left the room, and Lloyd and Colette followed him, asking about the job openings. I yawned as the nurse covered the cuts with small bandages and some kind of mild antiseptic. "Don't worry, Ari. You'll be just fine. But your gloves might be a lost cause."

I grimaced as I held my torn gloves up. "Well, what can I do? I can always find another pair…somewhere. But a job comes first."

"You're looking for a job? At your age?"

I nodded. "My friends and I accidentally made someone drop their Palma Potion, and now we have to pay them back for it."

"Well, I'm always in need of an assistant. Would you be interested?"

I blinked several times in surprise, then grinned. This was perfect!

"Yeah, that would be great! Don't tell anyone, but my grandma was a nurse!"

"Really? Well, let's hope her skills run in the family!"

* * *

I spent the rest of the day with Nurse Agatha, helping students and talking about random stuff. I hadn't realized there was a class on building boats here, though it seemed kind of obvious there would be. We spent a majority of our time tending to oversized splinters and cuts caused by mishandled saws, and there was a flood of nerdy students when gym class rolled around. But I couldn't blame them. Some people just weren't cut out for gym…like me. I hate exercise. And of course, the girl from before woke up and went back to her job with alarming ease. I would've been nervous, but she just waved off my concern and hurried off down the hall. She was one of those lucky people who could easily rebound from a mistake, unlike me.

When it came time for me to head out, I sighed sadly. This had been really fun. I'd never played 'nurse' before, and to tell you the truth, I enjoyed it. And I hated hospitals, with all their uptight doctors and snoopy nurses and…shots. Ooh, do I hate shots! I've hated them ever since I was little. I read those Calvin and Hobbes comics where Calvin would scream about the doctor sticking the needle through his arm, and…oh great, now I feel icky…

"So, Ari, what do you plan to do once the world is regenerated?" Agatha asked abruptly.

I looked down at the roll of gauze I was fiddling with and bit my lip. "I…I really don't know. Maybe do a little more traveling? I like seeing Sylvarant."

"You could always come back here and help me. I'm sure the headmaster wouldn't mind."

I nodded and said, "I think I might. This was really fun." I glimpsed a stack of small papers near the window and smiled. "Do you mind if I make you something?"

"Not at all."

I nicked one of the papers and began folding a paper crane, smiling the entire time. "Back home, there was a legend that went along with these birds. It was said that if you folded a thousand of them, you would get one wish. It's silly, but this bird is number…54, I believe. I only have 946 to go."

"What will you wish for?" Agatha asked.

I set the completed crane down on her desk and smiled. "Truth be told, I'm not sure. Maybe I'll wish for my friends to find happiness together. Or maybe I'll ask for angel wings. Of course, I don't want to waste it, so I'll have to think on it."

"I'd wish for world regeneration."

"Yeah, but everyone's praying for that. I want to wish for everyone to be happy." _Including Colette._

Agatha smiled and held up the paper crane, her hands gentle. "That's a good wish."

We sat there for a few minutes, just smiling, before Lloyd and Genis showed up.

"Time to go, Ari. Did you get paid yet?"

I was about to comment on how rude it was to ask that when Agatha stood up and placed a 500 Gald piece in my hand. I gaped.

"Agatha, that's far too much!"

"Not at all. After all, you showed me how to make a paper bird, and you never complained once while you were here. Use that money well."

I didn't want to be rude, so I nodded and slipped the Gald into my pocket. I shook her hand and left with Lloyd, but I waved one last time before I headed outside. It was almost sunset, and I hoped that we would have enough for a potion.

We did. Cacao sold us the potion at a -50 Gald discount, bless her, and we managed to find the imposters waiting in the same spot we'd 'met' at. Their expressions, just as I thought, were mostly sour at our late arrival.

"Finally!" Fake Lloyd shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. "Where the hell have you been?!"

"Excuse me," I growled, "but I don't like the fact that you're addressing my friends and I in such a tone. Would you kindly take your volume down a notch?"

"Fine," he grumbled. "Just hand over the potion and we'll go."

Raine handed the Fake Colette the potion and stepped back.

"Can we go now?" Fake Raine asked. "We really need to get a move on if we want to be there in time."

"Yeah, let's go," Fake Genis said with a nod.

And with that, the merry band of imposters rounded the corner and walked out of sight. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, I'm glad that's over. Can we go sleep now? I'm bushed."

"Exactly what I was thinking," Lloyd said with a grin. "Today's been…"

"Hectic?" Genis suggested.

"Tiring?" Colette guessed.

"A pain in the ass?" I bluntly thought aloud.

Lloyd only nodded as he tried not to smile. "I think all three work."

"Than let's go sleep!" I nearly shouted. "I don't know about you, but I'm ready for a good night's sleep! You guys know where the inn is?"

Kratos started towards a nearby four story building with a large front window. "We paid for the room while you were working, Ari."

"Great. I'm going to bed, then."

"Be ready for training in the morning," he said as he walked inside. "Both you and Lloyd."

Lloyd and I groan in haphazard unison while Genis grinned evilly at us. We were definitely not looking forward to it. Good night's sleep versus getting up early and getting knocked down on our asses? Hmm…I'll let you readers decide what's better. Ah, sweet sleep...

* * *

Okay, it might be getting obvious, but I'm starting to get bored with doing nothing but traveling and doing nothing. What I really want to do is get the the Water Seal and on to Luin, but nooooooooooo...I have to do a whole bunch of other stuff before that! AAAAAAAAAAAAGH!! If I could, I'd skip right to it, but for your sake, I'll try and make the parts in between interesting. Gah...back to the old drawing board...

**Titles: Teen Genius: Do I really have to explain this? It's pretty much self-explanatory.**


	10. ADVENTURE!

Hey, guys and gals! Guess what happened to me a few days ago! I graduated!! Gah, I'm so happy right now, I just can't seem to describe it! I feel liberated and relaxed, but scared at the same time! It's just crazy! I mean, how many times can one graduate in their life? Ah, I need a tub of Hagen Daaz right now...but I'll get fat...erg, I hate that.

Anyhoo, sorry about not updating in a while. School was such a pain in the butt. But now it's over, and I can go back to being the lazy idiot that I am. Oh! By the way, I got accepted into my first choice in colleges! One of my 'friends' was mean and said that everyone who applies there gets in, and that really bummed me out. I'm still mad at her.

Oh, right! You probably want to read now. Well, enjoy the latest chapter as much as possible. It might not be as good as my other chapters, but at least it's an update.

**Don't own, don't sue. Flame and you die.**

* * *

Chapter 10: ADVENTURE!!

Today's…just another day on the road.

I quietly rolled over onto my side and faced the wall, pulling the bed sheets up to my chin. It was still dark outside, but I was close enough to dawn where you could see a faint yellow light over the horizon, signaling its swift approach. And yet, I couldn't even muster the strength to turn over again and go back to sleep. Today would go on just like the others that had come before. Train with Kratos and Lloyd, eat breakfast, go somewhere new, and save some person I didn't know.

The question that I wanted answered was…how long could I go on doing this? Was I really cut out to travel the planet and help reunite the worlds? Today was one of those days where I felt like quitting and running. Not running away, but just running somewhere else.

Maybe a run was what I needed.

I got up quietly and slipped my shoes on as quickly as possible without tripping over my own feet, then headed for the door. Kratos was gone, meaning he was already outside, either waiting for Lloyd and myself or just killing time somewhere. I was gunning for the latter.

I found him outside on the bridge a few minutes later, a lone silhouette in the predawn light. He looked as stoic as usual, but something about him just threw it all off. Something about his presence…it seemed to be less intense than usual. I left him alone, despite my curiosity.

Quickly dispersing any thoughts of talking to him, I began lightly stretching, getting ready to take a short run. I was sore from all the walking we'd done yesterday, but it had been a lot worse during our trek from Triet to Izoold. That 'walk' had left me stiff and unable to even fully extend my leg in front of me.

I did one last stretch before taking off down the street, away from Kratos, and around the corner. I kept as quiet as possible for a part of the run, but as soon as the sun came up, I stopped caring. My feet made harsh sounds as they slapped the cobblestone, and it even echoed slightly. Without people out walking, the town seemed kind of…ghost-like. It was too empty for my liking. I preferred clogged streets and shouting seafood vendors to this.

I took a short break near the fountain on the Main Plaza, near the Governor-General's building. Maybe taking a run hadn't been such a good idea. My sides were aching up a storm now, and I was having trouble breathing. Great, my flaws from Earth had followed me here. Did that mean I was going to have trouble swimming in Altamira? Of course, my allergy was to chlorine, so I might be safe…I had no clue, though. Did they have chlorine there?

After a few more minutes of resting and mental wandering, I took off for the inn. Everyone was probably waking up by now, and I didn't want them to worry. We already had enough to worry about. Plus it was about time for breakfast.

* * *

"So," Lloyd began as he swallowed the last of his omelet, "we just have to go see this Governor guy and get the Book of Regeneration? Then we can head for the next seal?"

"Uh-huh," Colette said. "The book will tell us where the next seal is."

I nodded and sipped my water, my mind ever wandering. I was itching to get to the market and buy a journal, but I had to wait until everyone was done to do so. Someone might want to accompany me. I mean, who wouldn't want to explore a new city? The idea of wandering around an unknown city frightened me a little, but if I had someone with me, I'd feel a little better. Heck, I wouldn't care if Kratos ended up coming with me. All I needed was a journal. That wouldn't take long.

"Ari, are you okay?" Genis asked. "You've got the same look as Lloyd trying to think."

Lloyd smacked the kid on the head as I shook my head and smiled. "Well, I was thinking of going to the market. I wanted to pick up a few items before we headed out."

"Sure. As long as you don't take too long," Raine replied.

"If you guys want to go get the book and meet up, that's okay. I don't know how long my shopping will take." I shrugged. "I have a habit of getting wrapped up in it."

"Alright," she said. "Let's meet up near the fountain."

"That sounds good. I'll try and be done in twenty minutes. Was there anything we needed?"

"Just a few Life Bottles and a new cape for Lloyd," she listed. "Be careful, Ari."

"Of course!" I said as I got up and headed for the door. "No need to worry!"

As I slipped out into the hallway, I distinctly heard her say, "That's what worries me." I grinned and headed downstairs to the front door. Her muttered words meant that she cared about my wellbeing, even if it was only a little. I'm happy with a little worry. I don't need anyone asking me if I'm okay every time I speak.

I forced my slowly darkening thoughts away and turned my attention to the streets. They were already filling up with the mid-morning shoppers and vendors. People with baskets and bags in hand crowded in front of the stands like gamers to the release of a highly anticipated game, but with less enthusiasm and B.O.. These people were nice. When someone bumped into you, they apologized quickly and offered a smile, unlike Earth, where if you bumped into someone, they'd push you back or glare like you'd insulted them. And the prices! Oh man, things were so much cheaper here! A whole fish cost only 100 Gald, which evens out to about $20. The place I used to work had sold a whole fish for about $25 or $30. I could seriously get used to pricing like that!

I was beginning to wonder how much a few books would cost when I stumbled across a small doll on the ground. The soft fabric of its face had been smudged with dirt from being kicked around, and the seams of one of the shoulders and also in one of the legs had been ripped open. I frowned and picked it up off the cobblestones and tucked it into the crook of my arm. I was going to fix as soon as I found the owner.

"Excuse me," I asked the nearest vendor, "but do you know where I could buy a needle and some thread?"

The man sitting in the stand nodded, then pointed to a booth far across the venue, at least three lanes towards the nearest buiding. "That'll be where you get those items."

"Thank you. Um…I have one more question."

"Hmm?" He raised his eyebrows as I presented him with the doll.

"Do you know the owner of this doll? I found it on the ground, and…well, I'd like to get it back to them."

"Not sure…I'm sure I've seen it, but I can't place it. Try asking the merchant family next to the seafood stand, since they sell toys."

I smiled, thanked him again, and took off down to the docks. The smell of fish and seaweed was just as powerful as before, but I attempted (failed) to ignore it as I pressed on through the crowd. The breeze blowing off the sea was chilly, and carried a wonderful scent on it. What was it…it smelled like…like…

"Apples!!" I exclaimed, scanning the area quickly. My attention was drawn to the stand to my right, which happened to be right next to where they sold books. What luck! I quickly headed for the fruit stand and paid for an apple. It was juicy and sweet, and the flavor was unlike Earth's apples. These were slightly tangy, and had more of a punch, but not like green apples. These were firm like green apples, but they were yellow and absolutely fantastic.

I headed for the book vendor next, and purchased a book titled "Fighting Styles; Modern and Old" and a small pocket notebook with 100 of the gald Nurse Agatha had given me. I was down to 390 now, which meant I needed to keep my eyes open for a cheap cape for Lloyd. Goddess knows he goes through them like Michelle in the fanfic 'Tales of Yet Another Self Insert', but he didn't name his. I'd suggested it once, but no one had listened.

I found a cape a few minutes later and forked over 50 gald for it, then continued on my merry way, tossing the core of my apple in a wooden box labeled WASTE on the side as I passed it. Today was turning out better than I'd originally thought. Palmacosta was a really nice, clean city. I was really starting to like the market, too.

I stepped in front of a tailor's shop and sighed, looking at the small rips in my gloves.

"I really should get a backup pair or something," I mumbled to myself. "Just in case I destroy this pair in some horrible accident."

To be honest, with the concept of mana and magic being true, some things were no longer impossible, and some of the more gruesome results of exposure to fire and lightning put a monkey wrench in my gut. I realized I had to be extra careful now. Magnius could use fire-based techs, so he was going to be a problem, but at least he used something other than magic. Looking back on the fight with the K-creatures of the Triet Ruins made me realize that I couldn't just press a button to dodge anymore. This was real. All the fighting, the magic, and ailments and illnesses…they were all real now.

"Are you alright, young lady?" an old man asked from across the wooden counter. "You look worried."

I blinked several times and offered him a smile. "I'm okay. It just dawned on me how hard traveling really is."

"As every traveler should know," he said as he returned the smile. "So what can I get for you?"

"Do you have a pair of gloves with a hole in the left hand for and Exsphere? Something that looks like this?" I pulled off one of my gloves and handed it to him, and he hurried to the back wall, searching a large bin for several minutes until he came back with two pairs; both black with silver lining, but one had metal pieces over the knuckles and finger joints.

"Are these alright?" he asked.

I nodded vigorously. "How much for the pair with the metal?"

"Those would be 70 gald."

I dropped the money in his hand and slipped my new gloves over my arm, feeling happy. This was great! I liked days like this. If only things could go on like this forever, but as always, karma comes around and bites you in the butt. That was bound to happen sometime soon, but I shrugged it off and headed for the sewing stand in the next lane.

The woman behind the counter was tall with long blonde hair and light blue eyes. Her face was heart-shaped and her skin looked smooth. She almost looked like a doll from a distance, but the one thing that gave her away was a bandage that was wrapped around her right arm from her wrist to just above her elbow. It was in a sling, too. Had she been hurt recently? Had she broken it, or was it just a hairline fracture?

"Hello," she said with an airy voice. "How may I help you today?"

"I…uh." I suddenly found myself without a voice, and I knew my face was turning red with embarrassment. Why was I so flustered?! Because she was pretty! Why did I care if she was pretty?! Because I didn't want to look like an idiot!

"Are you…okay?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. Her blonde bangs fell in front of her eyes, and if I had been a guy, I probably would've gotten a nosebleed right there. But I didn't, since I'm a girl. I just took a deep breath and began rambling.

"Well, I was walking through the market a little while ago and I found this doll on the ground and it was all dirty and torn and I though 'hey, maybe I should fix this up for its owner,' so I've been wandering around looking for a place to buy a needle and thread and I just found this place and here's the doll, but now as I ramble I realize I have no idea how to sew anything since the last thing I tried to sew got ripped up by my cat and I was hoping maybe you could help me figure out how to fix it since you're the owner of this shop!"

I reached the end of my lung capacity and sucked in several deep breaths as the woman, plainly surprised, just stared at me. I felt my face go red both from exhaustion and from embarrassment. I hated when I got like this. I felt like such a weirdo when I did stuff that got me embarrassed. I glanced at the woman as I sucked in another breath, but I was shocked to not find an angry look on her face. Usually people who heard me go off like that got annoyed or mad at me, or made fun of me.

But she just smiled at me and held out her hand.

"May I see the doll?"

I nodded and gently placed the small toy in her open palm. Her hands were soft, but calloused at the same time. She was a hard worker, despite the fact that she looked to be the pampered type. As she turned the doll over and over in her working hand, her expression stayed the same; kind and caring. It was like the doll had a life of it's own in her hand, and she was going to heal it.

When she was done, she handed it back to me and beckoned for me to follow her to the back of the stand. I hesitated for a second, but shook it away and headed back. There was a small bench near the front of the small wooden stand, and the woman motioned for me to sit down while she handled a last-minute customer. I ran my hand over several bunches of yarn that hung on spokes above my head, and the loom next to me caught my attention as well. It looked to be old, but when I touched it, I found it was quite sturdy and smooth.

"My mother gave that to me on my fifteenth birthday," the woman said when I asked her about it. "She loved that I had an aptitude for sewing, so she taught me everything she knew and passed that down to me. I plan to pass it down to my daughter when she gets older."

"It's beautiful," I murmured. I had tried to use a lap loom once, but had failed miserably. I'd quit halfway through designing a purse.

"By the way, my name is Astrid." She smiled.

"My name's Ari. It's a pleasure to meet you, Astrid." Her name was Astrid. It was Norse for divine strength. I've done my fair share of research on Norse mythology, since Tales of Symphonia had ties to it. I've also learned a fair share about Greek and Chinese mythology as well, but that had nothing to do with my current situation.

"Alright, well, the first thing you do is choose the proper color thread to go with the fabric," Astrid said as she ran her fingers over several large spools of pale yellow and white thread. She plucked one off the rack and slipped a needle out of a large pin cushion on the counter. "Next, thread the needle and knot the end."

"If I may make a suggestion?" I interrupted. "If you pull the thread all the way through the eye so the ends of the thread are touching, wouldn't that make it sturdier?"

"Yes, but that consumes far more thread than necessary," she replied. "Good observation, though. Have you done this before?"

"Only a little, but I really stink at it."

"Well, let's get you started." She passed the doll and the thread to me and smiled. "I'll instruct you, but _you_ must sew it."

"B-but I'll mess up!" I stammered, getting flustered again.

"I'll make sure you won't," she assured me. "Now, let's get started."

* * *

Half an hour later, I found myself glowing with pride and full of confidence. With Astrid's assistance, I was able to finish the doll and stitch up the rips in my gloves without missing a beat. It looked almost perfect, except for a few mishaps I'd had with running out of thread. But now the doll was completed, and my gloves were fixed.

"You've improved greatly, Ari," Astrid praised. "I'm happy for you!"

"Thanks! I've never done so well before! You're teaching skills are amazing!"

"Why thank you!" Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink. "It's nice to have a willing student once in a while."

I smiled and began absentmindedly fold my receipt for the fighting style book into a small crane. This made 55 cranes. Nine hundred and forty five cranes left until I get my wish.

"Mom, we're back!" a child called from the street mere moments later. "We couldn't find it anywhere!" The source of the voice was a girl no more than eleven or twelve years old with waist-length ash blonde hair and her mother's blue eyes. The man behind her was at least five foot ten, if not taller, and had light brown eyes. He was obviously strong, and he carried a large but simple staff strapped to his back.

Astrid smiled at the girl and pointed to me. "I think you might want to speak to our guest. She has something for you."

"I don't know if I can talk to anyone…," the girl said sadly. "I'm in mourning…"

I stood up and headed around to the front of the shop. I couldn't stand seeing people sad. I had to help her.

"What did you lose?" I asked.

"My doll. My mom made it for me when I was a baby."

I blinked in surprise, then held out the doll I'd just fixed. "Is this it?"

Oh my god, the look on that little girl's face was absolutely priceless! Her expression went from gloomy, to surprised, to teary-eyed, to overjoyed in a matter of seconds! It was like I had given her something of the utmost importance, a treasure that couldn't be replaced.

"Isn't it wonderful, Bruno dear?" Astrid asked the man, her husband.

Bruno nodded. "I'm glad to see Marta's happy again."

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!" Marta cried happily as she hugged her doll. "Where did you find it?!"

"Somewhere around the fish stands, I think. It was over a…half…an hour…ago…" As I trailed off, something very important dawned on me.

"OH MY GOD THEY'RE GOING TO KILL ME!!" I shrieked, going absolutely rigid in terror. Astrid and Bruno looked surprised by my outburst, while Marta just hugged her doll and spun in circles.

"W-who's going to kill you?" Astrid asked warily.

"My travel buddies," I said in a panicked voice. "I was supposed to meet them a while ago, but the doll distracted me, and now the Stoic One is going to force me to train until dawn as punishment!" I knew I was exaggerating, but to hell with it. I was in deeeeeeeeeeeeeeep trouble. "Do you have a sewing kit I could purchase quickly? I really gotta run!"

"Sure. The one we used was only 40 gald, so if you want to buy that one…"

"It's perfect. I'll take it," I said quickly, scanning the crowd. I could've just sworn I'd seen a head of spiked reddish hair. Oh my god, my death was swiftly approaching as far as I knew. I had to run. Now.

When I had my things in hand, I bowed deeply to my new friends and smiled. "Thanks so much for helping me. I'll stop by once I'm in Palmacosta again!"

"Be sure you do! If you're in a big hurry, take the path behind the stands," Astrid called. I quickly shook her and Bruno's hands, waved goodbye to Marta, then worked my way back behind the stand and down the path. It was a pretty straightforward walk, but I had to run. I had to make it before Lloyd and the others got mad and left without me!

The wooden boards of the docks turned into the familiar cobblestone streets after a little bit, and I could already see the item shop's sign swaying in the breeze. I had three more blocks until Fountain Square, so, ignoring the burning in my sides, I pushed myself to run even faster than I would've liked. I apologized to those I bumped into, and reached the fountain in time. No one was there, so either they left without me, or getting a meeting with the Governor General took longer than I'd realized.

Heaving a huge sigh of relief, I sat down hard on the lip of the fountain and took several deep breaths. I felt very 'bleh,' to be frank. Achy, sweaty, and I found the smell of fish lingering on my skin was not very pleasant. I splashed the cool, clean water on my arms and face and sighed. If they weren't out in ten minutes, I was going to scream. Or kill them. Whichever I felt like doing first.

It was another twenty minutes before they emerged from the building. I looked up from the second chapter of my new book to find their expressions to be…happy. What the hell…had they gotten the book?

When I voiced that thought, Raine answered, "As it would turn out, a group of people claiming to be us came here earlier and took the book."

"Then why are you so happy?!" I demanded. "We have to find them and get it back!"

"Not really," Genis said. "Turns out, Dorr had the book copied on the Day of the Oracle, just in case."

"So we have the copy?" I guessed.

"We have the real thing!" Lloyd stated with a grin. "Now we'll know exactly where each seal is!"

I sighed happily and sat up, truly relieved. "Thank goodness. I'd heard someone saying the Chosen's group had already claimed the book," I lied. "Good to know we have the real one."

"I'll say!" Lloyd replied. "But if I see those imposters, I'm gonna give them a piece of my mind!"

"Agreed, Lloyd. Now let's head for the next seal."

"Did you get me a new cape?" he asked.

I tossed it to him and hit my target, his face. "Here ya go. I wasn't able to grab any Life Bottles or gels, since I didn't know how long it would be before you guys finished, so we'll have to make a quick stop at Cacao's place."

"That's alright," Raine said quickly. "

"Wait, everyone!"

I jumped at the husky voice and spun around to see General Dorr standing at the top of the building's steps. He was just as the game portrayed, other than the fact that he wasn't chibi-fied. His long blonde hair was pulled back into a pony that hung limply against the back of his neck, and his soft blue eyes tugged at something in the back of my mind. Why did I feel like this? Was it...pity?

"What is it, General Dorr?" Raine asked as she began climbing the steps again. Dorr descended a few steps and clasped her hand firmly, his eyes pleading.

"I have a request for you. It seems that there has been a disturbance a little ways north of here, near the House of Salvation. I would be most grateful if you could…look into it."

I kept my face straight as I went on a rampage in my mind. Great! Just when I thought I'd get to see Thoda Geyser, this traitor meanders on up to us and asks us to check out a 'disturbance' his little militia could easily look into! What a jerk! I seriously hoped we would turn him down, but knowing Lloyd's little 'hero condition', what choice did we have.

"We will, Governor Dorr," Colette chirped, completely oblivious to the man's true motives. With any luck, we'd avoid the House all together and just head for the Seal of Water. Huh, I wish…

I suppressed a sigh and looked behind Dorr, catching a glimpse of blonde curls disappearing into the building. _Don't worry, Kilia_, I thought to myself. _Your time will come soon. _It had better. I was not going to let her get away, no matter what form she took.

"Alright," Kratos said with a nod. "Let's be off then."

Looks like we won't be saving any time while traveling…

* * *

Ahhhhh!! Lol, I totally just stuck Marta in there! I am sooooo awesome! (completely off her rocker)

I do not recall putting any titles in there, so I guess that's it...awww...Back to the drawing board and on to Chapter 11.

See you all next chapter!! Happy End-of-School!! XD


	11. Taken

Hello, readers. Great to see you're still reading my stuff. I'm flattered by some of the reviews I'm getting for my PWI fic, as well as this fic. I distinctly remember someone calling my writing 'inspiring'. That, I must say, made my freaking day! To be given such a compliment makes my heart soar with pride, but know I shouldn't get too full of myself. I need to keep my focus and churn out chapters even faster. If only I could work up as many views, and reviews, as Chikuto's fic. *sigh* Now that would be the day...

Anyhoo, I finally got myself a Nintendo DS Lite (I know, I'm so behind in the times. I still have the 1st gen Ipod Nano) and started playing a game called Professor Layton and the Curious Village. I must say, that is a fun (but agonizingly complicated) game! I enjoy it every time I play it, though at times it makes me feel utterly stupid and thick-headed. But, I digress...it is a fun game either way.

I'm sorry to have kept you from my writing. Please enjoy while I begin writing chapter 13!

**Don't own, don't sue. Flame and you die.**

* * *

Chapter 11: Taken

I never really realized it, but when I'm walking long distances, I usually need something to keep me occupied. It's sort of childish, but it's true. Back on Earth, when I'd walk to work or take a walk around the lake, I'd have my Ipod and/or my camera to keep me company. Sure, looking at trees and plants was fun, but in all seriousness, it got a little boring. If I didn't explore the random paths that led into the trees, I'd go ballistic moments later and run back to find them. It made me feel like I was in an Indiana Jones movie or even Link in a Legend of Zelda game. After all, the world I had lived in was boring and full of violence, so why not escape cold reality and imagine something you've always wanted to experience?

In truth, the flora and fauna of Sylvarant was not so different from Earth's own, but that didn't stop me from gazing at the sheer beauty of it all. Whenever we stopped to take a break, I would start doodling and writing random little comments in my notebook with a pencil I swiped off Lloyd, and I even started pressing some flowers and leaves in between the pages of the small book. Raine even helped me figure out what plants they were, and I'd write down little comments and details about their growth. It made me think of Senri from the manga _+Anima_. He was such a big teddy bear. And pressing all those flowers made me feel like I was making memories.

I glanced at Lloyd as he chattered away with Colette and Genis about something he'd seen in Palmacosta. He spoke happily and freely, but I wasn't listening to the words. He was definitely different from the boys on Earth. For one thing, he had a likeable personality. He wasn't the kind of guy to push anything bad on you, like drugs or alcohol. He was the classic nice guy, but he had a slight case of Chronic Hero Syndrome. …okay, a really big case of it, but that wasn't so bad. It meant he cared for those around him.

**~Lloyd obtained the title: Chronic Hero Syndrome~**

I looked down at my notebook and blinked. I'd drawn a little chibi Lloyd while daydreaming. I smiled and began scribbling notes at the bottom of the page.

_'Lloyd, Genis, and Colette are getting along so well. It makes me wonder how they reacted to each other when they first met. Had they immediately gotten along well, or had Lloyd been as hotheaded as he is now?'_

I drew little chibi-versions of Genis cooking and Colette smiling and turned my attention to Raine and Kratos, who were reading the Book of Regeneration intently.

_'Kratos is as stoic-faced as ever, no surprise there, but Raine has grown on me a little. Her grace is amazing, considering she loves books so much. I always believed the stereotype that people who read a lot of books weren't very graceful. But she's really…lithe? Is that the right word? Maybe something like…nimble? And she's really cool too. If only she'd stop trying to teach Lloyd math. That's clearly an impossible goal with no hope of ever being completed or reached.'_

"Am I really that bad at math?"

I squeaked and snapped my book shut with a clap, then turned to glare at Lloyd, who had appeared behind me suddenly.

"Don't you know better than to read someone's journal?" I hissed.

Lloyd held up his hands in surrender, his currently casual version of saying sorry, and waited until I had put my book away to speak.

"Sorry I peeked," he said quietly. I looked into his eyes and saw he was sincere, so I gave in and let my anger slide.

"I'll forgive you if you never do it again." I muttered as I spun my pencil between my fingers, much like one would a baton. "I prefer my privacy remain intact."

"Okay. I won't look again."

I halted my spinning pencil and held it out to him with a small smile. "Thanks. I swiped this off you earlier. Sorry."

"It's okay." He turned around for a brief moment, but spun around with a huge grin on his face. "Hey, will you teach me and Genis how to fold those cranes you're always making?"

I blinked in surprise. He remembered. "You still want to make one of those?" I asked disbelievingly. "I've never met someone so bent on making one."

"It looks fun, and you're always smiling when you make them. I want to know why," he said with a shrug. He smiled widely, and I was sold. I couldn't resist it.

"Alright, I'll teach you, but you have to be serious about it. I don't tolerate slackers."

"Then you'll never get anything done with him," Genis called to us. I saw Colette hide a smile as Lloyd's complexion changed from normal to flustered in seconds.

"Shut it, Genis!"

"It's okay, Lloyd. He's just teasing you," I said with a chuckle. He just shook his head and sat down across from me. He pulled a crinkled piece of paper out of his pocket and held it out to me. I blinked several times.

"Uh…"

"I know," he said before I could say anything. "Just show me how to make it."

I nodded and pulled out a package of papers I'd bought from Cacao's shop and handed Lloyd a piece before fetching one for myself.

"Okay, the first thing you do, Lloyd, is fold it in half, like so-" I folded it in half horizontally and vertically- "and then like this." I folded the paper diagonally, both ways. Lloyd copied me slowly, but he was quickly gaining speed. We ended up having to take the lesson on the road, and after another half an hour of walking, we not only reached the House of Salvation, but we had roped Genis and Colette into making cranes as well. There were plenty of mistakes, but I was having too much fun to make a fuss.

But our peace was not to last. I saw the guardsman approaching swiftly, his face, as well as the rest of him, hidden by thick padding and armor.

"Chosen One! Thank goodness you're safe!"

"Is something wrong?" Colette said in a confused tone.

"Several groups of Desians were spotted heading for Palmacosta," the guardsman said. "We were worried you would get caught by one, since the last Chosen…"

"I see. Well, we are safe," she replied with a warm smile. "I'm sorry you had to worry about me."

"Oh, Colette, don't apologize," Lloyd said with a sigh. "No one can help that they worry about you."

"Oh, you're right. I'm sorry."

Just as Lloyd was going to scold her again, I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and sighed.

"Colette, you are just too nice. Like Lloyd is about to say, stop apologizing so much. I used to have the same problem a long time ago. Now look at me!" I grinned, but that disappeared when I heard several snorts from Lloyd and Genis' general direction.

"Don't make me light you two on fire," I growled, a smile still on my face.

They shut up, though I could still see traces of a smile on both their faces. Jerks. They would so pay for that when it was time for dinner. It was my turn to cook.

"So there are several groups of Desians heading towards Palmacosta?" Raine asked, distracting me from my plots for revenge.

The soldier nodded firmly. "Yes. I heard from another squad that they were gathering a lot of people and heading for the ranch. From what I've gathered, their leader, Magnius, is with them as well. I suggest you all head for Hakonesia Peak and lay low for a little bit."

"No way," Lloyd said, voicing my thoughts perfectly. "We need to go and help the people of Palmacosta!"

"Lloyd, it's much too dangerous!" Raine said firmly. "We wouldn't stand a chance against an entire ranch of Desians!"

"What are you saying, sis?" Genis asked. "Are you saying we should just abandon them?"

"I'm not saying that, Genis. All I'm saying is that if we want to save everyone, we must complete the Journey of Regeneration."

"But Raine, think about it," I said quickly. "If people are dying left and right because we're too caught up in the journey, then what's the point in saving people who aren't around to be saved in the end? It makes no sense to me."

"Ari's right," Lloyd added. "If we don't save them, they'll lose faith in us! And I won't stand by as they they're slaughtered like animals!"

It was all too easy to read the pain in Lloyd's eyes, and I knew he was thinking about his mother and presumably-dead father. I wanted to reach out and take his hand or give him a hug, but I refrained from doing so and simply nodded.

"Fine," Raine said with an exasperated shake of her head. "We'll head back to Palmacosta, but we need a better plan than to just barge in there and demand the release of the prisoners."

"We'd be caught and executed in minutes if we tried an approach that direct," Kratos added.

"Then we sneak in," Genis suggested.

"But they'll have guards all over the place. It wouldn't be that easy," Colette said warily.

"Then we improvise," I said simply. "But let's figure it out on the way there. We're burning daylight."

* * *

Turns out we had more daylight than I thought, and we reached the city in less time than it had taken to walk in the opposite direction. We had about an hour or two left of sunlight, which was just enough time for us to find our inn room and retire for the night.

Lloyd, of course, was pacing furiously near the door, while the rest of us cooled our jets on the beds. While Raine and Kratos continued their study of the Book of Regeneration, I managed to stitch up a rip in Genis' shirt while he read a book next to me. Colette was dozing quietly on the bed by the window, but I had a feeling she was faking. I couldn't remember exactly when she lost the ability to sleep, but it was either now or after the next seal.

"I can't take it!!" Lloyd shouted as he slammed a fist on the wall, startling all of us (except Kratos) out of our tasks. "How can you all just sit there while people are being killed in the ranch?! People are dying, and we're just sitting here reading books and sewing!"

I glared at him as he continued, "And what's more is that we still haven't found out where the next seal is! We should be out there," –he pointed to the window- "helping people! Not sitting comfortably in an inn as if nothing were wrong with the world!"

In the blink of an eye, Raine was on her feet and forcing Lloyd to sit on the bed next to me. Her expression was that of an annoyed mother with no other options left for her unruly toddler.

"Lloyd Irving, that is enough out of you!" she bellowed. Her cold tone sent chills racing down my spine. "Do not act as if you are the forlorn hero here! We are all very concerned for the captured people of Palmacosta, but if we act now, we will only meet failure! Do you know why that is?"

Lloyd remained silent, his eyes locked on the door.

"It's because we are tired," she continued. "We have not given up on rescuing the prisoners, but we will not be foolish and rush in when we are at our limit! Do you understand?"

Lloyd squeezed his eyes shut and gave a curt nod, which was rewarded with a shout from Raine.

"Do you understand?!"

"Yes, yes! I understand!!" He pushed Raine away and rested his head on his hands. "I'm just anxious. I keep thinking about Marble and…"

"We understand what you're feeling, Lloyd," Genis said, "but we need to think before we act. None of us would stand a chance in a ranch at our current level of strength. Not even Kratos. We need time to rest."

While the others continued supporting Lloyd, I continued stitching up Genis' shirt as well as a recently discovered tear in his cape. He'd had a rough time with a group of Mandragora on the way back to Palmacosta.

But as I poked the thin needle through the soft fabric in my hands, I felt my drive from earlier drift away. My happiness slipped away like a scrap of paper in the wind, and an empty hole in my chest slowly ripped open with each passing minute. I didn't find any sadness or memories there, but I could feel my strength drain away. Sleep began tugging at my consciousness, then pulling, until it finally yanked me away from everyone.

* * *

At first the dream was nice. I was underwater, the pressure of water a soothing feeling on my tired limbs. I drifted with the current for the longest time, unable to move or speak, until a bright light above me called out.

"I'm sorry…," it whispered. "I'm…so…sorry…"

My head was so cloudy that I barely heard those words, but I heard them all the same. It didn't make much of a difference, though. No one I knew needed or deserved forgiving. And I didn't really care about it, much less anything else. It was all a blur before my eyes. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, I was somewhere else.

I was standing in front of the Desian Human Ranch, watching a group of people be lead inside. Their expressions told me everything that was going on within their minds. They were scared, angry, and some were even without hope. Their eyes were dull and lifeless, as if they'd been given Cruxis Crystals of their own.

I followed them inside, seeing as it was a dream, and watched them get carried off to the cells somewhere in the building. I saw Magnius getting into an elevator a few yards away, but I knew I wouldn't make it. I drifted down the hall the prisoners had been lead down, quickly catching up to them.

As they walked, I looked over their faces, searching for Chocolat and any others I might've known. I got my answer all too quickly. Chocolat was near the back, and her brown hair was easy to spot, but there was another person whom I noticed as well.

"_Astrid…_," I whispered in surprise.

Astrid walked near the middle of the group, her long blond hair tied back in a loose, unkempt braid. Why had the Desians grabbed _her_?! What had she done that merited being taken?! She was so kind and gentle!

I reached out for her, trying to take her hand as I floated over the group, but was pulled back sharply by Raine's voice calling out to me.

"Ari! Ari, let's get going! We must hurry!"

In a flash, I was awake and gasping for breath, my heart hammering away in my throat. It had all been a dream, but why had it seemed so real? I could still feel the intensity of the ranch itself. The intense threat of pain and misery. It had to have been real! And that meant Astrid was in trouble!

"Ari, are you okay?"

I looked to my right and saw Lloyd and Colette watching me carefully, their expressions concerned.

"I'm fine. I just need to…find someone in town."

"But you were moaning in your sleep. Were you having a bad dream?" Colette asked.

"Yeah. A dream. It was just a dream…it had to be…"

I got out of bed quickly and began getting ready, all the while my nerves working away at my concentration. I couldn't stand staying in one place while Astrid might be in trouble. I kept imagining the heartbreak on Marta's face and the distraught Mr. Bruno must be feeling. It's not like he could've stood up to the Desians without putting Marta as risk. Poor Marta…

My last nerve snapped with that thought, and I fled the room completely on impulse.

"I'm sorry, you guys! I'll be back soon!" I called back as I hopped down the staircase. They shouted at me to stop and come back, but I was already out the door and booking it for the market. I had to see for myself if Astrid was really gone.

The market was unusually vacant as I wound my way around the few people brave enough to leave their homes after the raid. No one spoke at all, too. It was weird. They almost resembled zombies, aside from the tiny fact that they had skin and free will. Their faces were pale and sometimes fearful, and it made me feel even worse than I'd felt in the inn.

After a few minutes, I found myself in front of Astrid's shop, my breaths coming out in wheezes. I took a few seconds to build up a portion of my composure, then tapped the bell in front of the shop.

"Miss Astrid?" I called. "Mister Bruno? Marta? Is anyone here?"

"I'll be right out," Bruno called. He emerged from the back moments later, his eyes bloodshot red. He looked like he hadn't slept all night.

_Oh no._

"I remember you," he said quietly. "You're the girl that fixed Marta's doll. I'm sorry to say this, but…Astrid isn't here right now."

"Oh goddess…was she taken?" I asked him in a whisper. He was just about to answer when Marta emerged from the back of the shop, her doll hanging limply in her arms.

"Daddy? What's going…oh!" Marta perked up when she spotted me and walked towards the counter. "You're the girl that fixed my doll for me! Thank you so much!"

"You are very welcome, Marta," I replied, tring extremely hard to keep my tone even and light. It was hard, because my heart was trying leap into my throat, and I felt like choking.

"Marta, why don't you get ready to go? We'll leave in a few minutes," Bruno said with a tight smile. Marta nodded and retreated into the back of the shop, and Bruno turned back to me with stone cold eyes.

"Yes, Astrid was taken yesterday by the Desians. Unfortunately, I had been out at the time, and she was already gone when I came home with Marta. I'm afraid…she might already be dead…" The look on his face was the look of a spouse pushed beyond his stress limit. It looked as if he were about to crumble.

I gripped the counter until my fingers felt like they were full of splinters. I gritted my teeth to keep from crying out in frustration. Astrid was gone. She'd been taken. Damn, we should've stayed an extra night in the inn! Then we might've been able to save her and Chocolat!

"Mr. Bruno, I don't know if I told you this a few days ago, but my traveling companions are the Chosen and her closest friends." I watched his expression change from that of defeat to one of hope. "We're heading to the ranch today. Right now, in fact, so…so I swear I'll bring Astrid back to you! I won't stand for Marta to be without a mother!"

Bruno sighed, then hardened his gaze to the coldest degree. "I appreciate your words, but I will be taking back my wife myself. Without her with me, I cannot go on."

"And what about Marta?!" I whispered harshly so the little girl wouldn't hear. "What if she loses her mother _and_ her father? What then?! Who will she stay with? Who will take care of her?! Who will love her in place of her parents?!"

Bruno seemed to understand where I was coming from, but he still pushed to accompany me and the group. I refused.

"Mr. Bruno, I stand by my words. If you leave Marta alone, with someone she barely knows, and you disappear, she will never recover. Believe me, I…I haven't…"

"Either you grew up with estranged parents, or without love from either of them," Bruno finished for me. I drew back, my fingers digging into my arms so hard they left imprints of the fabric on them.

"My father…he was already married when I was born. He disappeared…and my mother…seemed to lose interest in raising me after I turned fourteen." I felt tears prick my eyes, but I continued. "I wish…I wish I had been loved a little more."

Bruno gave me a small smile and placed his hand on the top of my head, a small sign of comfort that gave me more happiness than I ever could've hoped for.

"Alright then. Please, or Marta's sake, bring back my wife in my place. I will wait patiently with Marta until your safe return, Ari."

All I could manage was a nod before I rushed off down the street, unable to hold back the tears that pooled in my eyes. I stopped a few times on my run back to the inn to dry them, but I knew they were red and puffy. But I had to be strong and hide my pain so we could move fast. If we weren't quick, the people who had been taken from Palmacosta might be killed, and Marta might lose her mother forever. If that happened, I'd never be able to face them again.

So I pressed onward into the city, my memories of earth weighing down on my shoulders once again. God, if only I could forget them…they caused me so much pain. But this pain was my drive sometimes, and it continues to push me forward until I can no longer bear it. My burden doesn't kill me, therefore it makes me stronger.

That code is what I've lived by ever since I turned fourteen.

* * *

...well, it seems I've gone emo on you all again. Sorry about that. I know a lot of people hate it when authors get depressed in self inserts, but I can't help it. But I don't write things that don't stem from the truth. I really have gone through that pain. I still do, when I'm alone.

Ack! I'm doing it again! (turns off depressing music) There! All bettter! Now then...titles and tropes!

**Chronic Hero Syndrome: In a nutshell, the willing hero in every story. One who feels s/he must save everyone in trouble. The Perfect Example: Lloyd Irving.**

Anyhoo, I hope you stick around for the next chapter! In fact, I think I'll give you a little preview. This is one of my favorite parts. If fact, I think I really conveyed what I felt at the time. (I have such an overactive imagination)

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Chapter 12: Infiltration

As we wandered the halls of the ranch, listening for any signs of the Desian leader Magnius or the prisoners, an odd feeling began to creep over me. It wasn't like the closed-in feeling of claustrophobia, and it didn't come close to being as intense as the fear of being caught and killed. It was like there was a smell in the air that was fouler than the pollution of afternoon traffic on a congested highway in New York. It was worse. It felt like I was looking into the mind of a killer, as if the halls themselves were the paths inside a muderer's memories. It was cold…chilling like the winter's unforgiving wind. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as we followed the halls deeper into the base, and I could hear and see the silent screams of the prisoners as the Desians hurt them over and over out of boredom.

_Astrid…please be alive, Astrid!_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

I can't wait to update the next chapter! I hope that little tidbit of writing will satisfy you for a little while! At least until I manage to get chapter 13 done so I can upload 12...dear god, chapter 12 is nearly 9,000 words...Get ready to read some serious stuff!

Happy summer!!


	12. Infiltration, Liberation

Hey, everyone. I'm glad to see you're still here! I know I probably say this every chapter, but I really do appreciate those of you who read my stories. It makes me feel like I have a shot at a writing career.

Anyway, I picked up a game called Lux-Pain recently. Frankly, I'm in complete awe of it. It's an amazing game, though slightly depressing. Its characters draw you in and don't let go. I actually stopped playing Professor Layton just so I could finish it! I was hooked until the very end! And it came with an artbook!! I love looking at artbooks! I own several in fact, such as Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, Final Fantasy X + X-2, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2! I'm embarrassed to say I even own the entire set of Clow Cards. Silly me! Ha!

Aw, jeez, I'm keeping you from the story. I'm happy to let you know that this chapter is almost 11,000 words long, so read, review, and don't let my Jello-eating cat get you on the way out! Seriously, though, he does eat Jello. It's hilarious to watch.

:]

**Don't own, don't sue. Flame and you die.**

* * *

Chapter 12: Infiltration. Liberation.

If there was ever a time I should've been calm and collected, it should've been in those few minutes before meeting Neil outside the human ranch. I should've been completely composed with a plan already in mind. Level-headed, at least, with my mind set on taking out Magnius.

But no, I wasn't 'level-headed.' In fact, I was far from it. My mind was reeling with the images of Astrid's dead body, bloody and mangled in a pile of corpses in the corner of the room where they remove Exspheres. I hoped to god they hadn't placed one on her yet, but that's all I could do; hope. I could always ask Lloyd to make a Keycrest for her, but that would just drag things out. And I didn't know where Inhibitor Ore could be found in Sylvarant.

"Ari, are you even listening to us?" Raine whispered ominously in my ear. "You've been acting strange ever since you ran off in Palmacosta."

"N-no," I said, faltering slightly. "I'm listening…sort of…What were we talking about?"

"Well, what we're discussing is whether or not we should take a direct approach to the ranch with the Palmacostan Army, or if we should sneak in while the army distracts the Desians."

"Oh…okay…," I mumbled, already losing interest. I didn't want to be bothered with tiny details. I just wanted this to be over.

"Ari, snap out of it!" Genis growled from behind me. "What's your deal? Did something happen in the city that you're not telling us?"

"No," I replied quickly. "Nothing happened. I'm just tired."

"Was it that nightmare?" Colette asked.

I nodded. "I…I thought I was drowning…and then I saw all the people in the ranch being slaughtered. I even saw an acquaintance of mine among them…" I gripped my cape tightly and pulled it closer. "That's why…why I-"

"Why you ran off this morning?" Kratos finished.

"Yes. Turns out she really was taken. That's why I haven't been listening. I've been fighting off images of bloody corpses and rotting flesh in my mind." I glared at him. "Would you like to take over for me?" I hissed.

"Ari, enough," Raine chided with a sigh. "How long have you been dealing with these…mental images?"

"Long before I met all of you, that's for sure," I muttered. "I've had this ever since…well, since I can remember, really." My rage dissipated in a second, leaving me in a low melancholy. "I've been called a freak on more than one occasion for talking about them."

"Sheesh," Lloyd muttered, "your mood swings are insane."

Cue mood swing. My melancholy brightened slightly at his words, but then fell from that into sadness.

"I have…a condition, that's what my doctor told me. He said that it explained my freakish mood swings and lack of concentration. But I've been dealing. I'm better than I was a while ago, thanks to some…sudden changes."

"Really? What changed?" Lloyd asked.

"Meeting all of you," I mumbled, averting my eyes.

Colette, bless her angel hearing, came over to me and gave me a big hug. "That's good," she said simply. All I could do was nod and watch the human ranch grow closer. We were mere seconds away from the front gate now, and I still couldn't think of a plan.

Sadly, my memories of the Palmacosta Human Ranch were a blur, unlike the Asgard Human Ranch. That place had been easier to navigate without the use of a guidebook. Palmacosta's ranch had that stupid warp puzzle, which got me thinking…would they even have that? Well, the real Triet Ruins hadn't exactly been like the Triet Ruins in the game, and Palmacosta had definitely been bigger in real life, so what were the chances of the ranch remaining the same?

"Chosen One, please wait!"

The group halted as Neil appeared from the bushes, looking as if he'd seen a ghost. His clothes and hair were covered in dirt and leaves, and he looked as if he'd taken a tumble down a hill. In a nutshell, he was a mess.

"Neil! We heard that some people from Palmacosta had been taken to the ranch! It is really true?" Lloyd asked.

"Yes." Neil's expression was grim, and the dark circles and bags under his eyes didn't make him look any livelier. "I wish to speak with you regarding that. Please, come this way…" He motioned for us to follow him into the bushes, an action half the group didn't like the thought of.

"It doesn't sound like you have very good news for us," Raine murmured warily.

I just shrugged and followed him quietly. This part wasn't a trap. We were safe…or at least until we went on the attack.

When we were all in a small clearing about fifty feet away from the ranch's main gate, Neil stopped and got right to the point.

"I would like you all to go and leave the Palmacosta region as quickly as you can."

That small phrase got an instant reaction out of Lloyd.

"What are you saying, Neil?!" he nearly shouted. Genis jumped up and clamped his hands over his friend's mouth, effectively silencing him.

"But if we do that, what will happen to Chocolat and the other people who were taken?" Colette asked, her eyes growing fearful. "We can't just leave them in there…"

"Yeah!" Genis added as he removed his hands from a suffocating Lloyd. "We're supposed to work in conjunction with the Palmacosta army to save everyone, right?"

Neil's gaze fell to the forest floor, and he began picking at a small scratch on his hand. "No, that's…"

"So…it _is_ a trap," Kratos and I said. Hey, I couldn't resist. It was a golden opportunity to see some reactions. I glanced at everyone's expressions and hid a smile. Lloyd looked like someone had punched him in the gut, Genis was hitting his head against his palms while muttering about how he should've figured it out, and Colette was just distraught. Raine and Kratos, being know-it-alls, simply shook their heads.

"We should've seen this coming…," Raine sighed.

"Ari, when did you figure out it was a trap?" Kratos asked.

I shrugged. "Back when Dorr asked us to look into that Desian raid. He could've let a small part of his military look into it. It seemed strange that he'd ask the Chosen, who should be kept away from danger, to look into something concerning her enemies. It just…didn't sit right with me."

"Hmm…I see."

On the outside, I was calm and collected, but on the inside, I was freaking out. He'd almost cornered me…again! Shit, he was getting too close to the truth. If only I could tell him to back off. Only problem was that saying that would alert him to the fact that I was hiding something. It made my head hurt.

Neil's last shred of calm seemed to crumble away, and his hands started to tremble. "…It is as you say. Dorr is working with the Desians to lead the Chosen into a trap."

" Why would he do such a thing?" Genis asked, his brow knitting together in confusion.

Neil seemed to fidget under the combination of everyone's gazes, but he managed to continue. "He didn't used to be like this… He always thought of the well-being of the people of the city. Even five years ago, when he lost his wife, Clara, he swore to fight against the Desians."

Clara. Cheezits, I'd nearly forgotten about her. We were supposed to save her too. Well, there was yet another thing to add to the dizzying "Things To Do Before the Recombining of the Worlds" List: save the wife of the soon-to-be-dead Governor/General/Leader-man of Palmacosta. Just lovely.

Despite my inner sarcasm, Neil kept talking. "I don't know why he changed. At any rate, entering the ranch now will put the Chosen in danger. Leave Chocolat and the prisoners to me and go on your way. Please regenerate the world as soon as possible."

"…Indeed. It would be best to abandon the situation here for world regeneration."

That asshole Kratos! He was soooooo…_ERGH!!_ His lack of human feelings made me just…_GAH!_ I just could describe it! Listening to him talk about World Regeneration was like listening to nails on a mile-long chalkboard! Oh! An even better description would be driving a two-inch _nail_ into my freakin' _skull_ via my _ear_!

Luckily, Colette spoke up before I could tackle Kratos in my growing rage.

"No! I can't just ignore this!" she cried. "All those people are waiting for us to save them! How can we just turn and walk away, claiming it's for their sake?!"

"Colette's right," Genis said with a nod. "If we leave things as they are now, Palmacosta may be destroyed just like Iselia. You think so, too, don't you, Lloyd?!"

Lloyd looked as if he were still in a mild state of shock, so I gave him a nudge.

"Lloyd, are you okay? Can you speak?"

"Y-yeah," he murmured, his eyes losing their frightened glaze.

"I still wish to side with Kratos," Raine stated. "If you don't want to see cities destroyed, you should avoid contact with the Desians."

"No, that's not right," Colette retorted. "Regenerating the world and saving the people in front of us are not exclusive of each other. That's what I think."

"If that is how you feel, Colette, then we do not have any right to stop you. The only one who has the right to make decisions on this journey is you, the Chosen One. Is that all right with you, Lloyd?" Raine asked, turning her head to face Lloyd. He just nodded as his eyes steeled over with determination.

"That was my intention from the beginning. Remember what I said? I'm going to destroy them all."

Neil, who had been silently listening, finally spoke up again. "But… that means you all will be in danger…"

"It's all right," Genis said with a reassuring smile. "Colette is saying this is what she wants to do."

"Now, then," Raine said with a small sigh, "we have two courses we can take. The first one is to go on ahead and infiltrate the ranch and rescue the captives. Now that things have come to this, if we leave the ranch alone, it will surely result in a second Iselia. Our second option is to confirm Door's true motives. If he has planned a trap, then he knows the layout of the ranch well. …Let's let him talk for a bit."

Neil seemed to sense something sinister hidden in Raine's words. "Wha-what are you going to do to Dorr?" he stammered.

"Uh…You'd better not ask that. Raine's punishment is painful," Genis whispered. Out of nowhere, Raine's hand found Genis' head, resulting in a resounding slap followed by a muffled yelp of pain. Poor kid…but he'd had it coming. _The first rule of Raine Sage is: You do not badmouth Raine Sage._

"Thinking logically, dealing with Dorr first is the correct choice," Kratos said simply.

"I say we rescue the captives," I argued. "Who knows what's being done to them as we speak?!"

"You would put the Chosen in that much danger for someone you barely know?" he retorted with a glare. I hesitated, his words bringing my drive to a standstill. True, I didn't want to put Colette in that much danger, but we had to save those people. If they knew the Chosen had had the chance to save them, and she'd run away instead, they would never forgive her. They would blame her for their unhappiness, as well as the countless deaths that would follow her retreat.

"It's not up to Ari, Kratos," Colette said quickly, her angelic voice taking on a sharp tone. "If I am in danger, it is because I chose the path that lead to it. It is no more Ari's choice than it is yours."

Everyone seemed to blink at Colette's words, but deep down, we all knew they were true. We could only advise her against doing rash things such as this, nothing more nothing less.

"You are right, Chosen," Kratos said in an even tone. "The choice is yours."

"So what do we do, Colette?" Genis asked. "Should we take on the ranch, or force Dorr to talk?"

Colette knotted her fingers together over and over, her knuckles turning white with the pressure.

"Lloyd, what do you think?" she whispered.

Lloyd, who was currently holding a staring contest with the walls of the ranch, clenched his fists and said, "I think we should free the people in the ranch first. I won't have any others turned into monsters like Marble."

I nodded. "I'm with you, Lloyd. If we talk to Dorr first, then head for the ranch, he could use some form of communication to warn the ranch of our approach. That is, if he really is on their side. And if the ranch finds out the Chosen is coming to free everyone, they'll either set a bigger trap, buff up security, or both. I say we take them out before they have time to blink!"

"I see what you're thinking, Ari," Raine said. "I don't want to agree to this, but it seems like I don't have a choice…"

Kratos 'hrmmed' with a small frown, then gave in. "If that is your wish, Chosen."

Our decision made, we began to head towards the forest nearest to the ranch when Neil grabbed hold of Lloyd's arm and cried, "Please let me come with you!" Everyone just stood there for a second before the man repeated himself: "Please, let me go with you."

"…Okay," Lloyd said casually. "Let's go."

_Say what?!_

"Are you sure you want to come with, Neil?" I asked. "We're not going to a birthday party, you know."

"I know I can't do much," Neil replied, "but I still believe I can help you."

"Lloyd?" Genis whispered. "Are you sure about this?"

"Of course," Lloyd replied. "I remember what it was like when I was told not to follow Colette on her journey."

"And here you are now," I muttered to myself for no reason. I glanced at Colette and Kratos. They hadn't heard me, which meant no one had heard me. Good.

So, with Neil now in tow, we dove straight into the forest and began our quiet raid on the ranch. We moved swiftly and silently through the dense brush, pausing only as the Desians made their patrols around the area. We waited several minutes for the perfect moment to strike, and that came when the only sorcerer in the area was distracted by a loose boot.

In one swift movement, Lloyd made his move and struck the sorcerer right at the base of his neck with the hilt of his sword. He was out like a smashed light bulb. One down, eleven to go.

The rest of us fled the cover of the bushes, except for Neil, and attacked the Desians as they yelled for help, but they were child's play compared to fighting Botta in the Renegade Base. Still, it took us a little while to shut all of them up. While Raine and Genis casted spells from the rear, Lloyd and the rest of us took on whatever attacked us first. Lucky me, I got stuck with a spearman, and I assure you, this spear_man_ was not really a man. Definitely not.

I charged up lightning mana in my hands and let it spark a few times to show off. She wasn't fazed. She just smiled and thrust her spear at me, catching on the hem of my shirt sleeve on the blade. I twisted around and grabbed a hold of the spear a few inches down the pole, pushing as much mana as I could without killing her. Her mouth contorted into a silent cry of pain, and she fell like a bag of bricks seconds later, her lips blue and swollen.

Suddenly the gravity of my actions came crashing down on my unprotected skull.

I had electrocuted her.

She was dead.

She was dead! She might've had a family! Friends! A child and a husband! But she'd never get to see them again because she'd been at the ranch. She was dead. She couldn't come back. No one could come back. Every Desian we came in contact today with would never experience the joys of life again. They would be damned to an eternity of wallowing in the darkest reaches of the Underworld, with only cold Hades and frozen Persephone to keep them company.

"Ari! Snap out of it!" Kratos shouted in my ear, his voice unbelievably loud. I snapped out of my dark realization and stumbled into him, nearly falling to the ground.

"Oh Goddess, I…I've killed someone. How…h-how could I have done that?!" I mumbled, my mind going numb. I was a killer. A murderer. A monster.

"Ari, open your eyes," he growled as he took a hold of my arm, gripping it so tightly that I felt it go almost limp. "She was a Desian. They're all Desians. They've killed far more people than you ever could."

"But they're people just like you and me!" I snapped at him. "I'm sorry if I have a conscience!"

"Do you see Lloyd or Colette whining like you are?" he asked simply. I instantly shut up, realizing he was totally right. He continued. "They are just as human as you, but they deal with it. If you want to be strong, then deal with your pain until it's all over." He fixed me with an extremely dark glare. "Do not think for a second that I won't make you disappear if you ever become a liability."

I felt all my despair and fear drain away with his words, and the last sentence sent angry chills through every inch of my body.

"Don't you dare threaten me, Kratos," I hissed as I pushed past him with a glare. "I won't hesitate either if you ever do anything to hurt Colette or the others."

"An empty threat," he muttered. "Let's see if you can follow through on that."

I smirked as I rubbed the circulation back into my arm. I had every intention of taking him down when the time came. He was going to hurt everyone in the future, and that was something I was not going to take sitting down, standing up, or while doing an underwater handstand. I was definitely going to get stronger, with or without his help.

The lock on the front gate opened easily with the handprint of the dead Desian sorcerer, with which Lloyd and I were tasked with handling, and we easily made it inside. The entire entryway and hallway was guarded by only two Desians, and they looked worse for wear, like they needed sleep. Lucky for us, Kratos made quick work of them and we were able to move on fast.

As we wandered the halls of the ranch, listening for any signs of the Desian leader Magnius or the prisoners, an odd feeling began to creep over me. It wasn't like the closed-in feeling of claustrophobia, and it didn't come close to being as intense as the fear of being caught or killed. It was like there was a smell in the air that was fouler than the pollution of afternoon rush hour traffic on a congested highway in New York. It was worse. It felt like I was looking into the mind of a killer, as if the halls themselves were the paths inside a murderer's memories. It was cold…chilling like the winter's unforgiving wind. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as we followed the halls deeper into the base, and I could hear and see the silent screams of the prisoners as the Desians hurt them over and over out of boredom.

_Astrid…please be alive, Astrid!_

And then we were in the prisoners' cells. I felt myself grow cold with pity and sadness.

There were at least a hundred people behind the thick glass walls on both floors, their faces bloodied and bruised from numerous beatings. The newer prisoners were easier to spot; their injuries were more recent, and by far harder to look at. One man's arm seemed to have healed incorrectly, seeing as his wrist was bent at a painfully awkward angle. A brunette woman not far from him had cuts on her arms and back that looked like the work of a cat-o-nine-tails, a whip with nine strips of knotted leather which had been used by pirates for flogging way back when. It was a horrible scene to look at. Soon my mind was overcome with so much sadness that I ran towards the nearest cell and began shouting.

"Astrid! Astrid, where are you?!" I cried, my gut sinking with every passing minute. I jumped to the next cell. "Astrid, if you can hear me, please answer!!"

"Ari, please keep calm," Raine said quick, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. "There's no reason to lose your self-control."

"I have to find her," I said as I moved to the next cell. "I made a promise to Brute and Marta that I'd rescue her. She has to be here! I'll be calm after I find Marta's mother!"

I cursed loudly as I scanned the next cell. I couldn't see Astrid anywhere. She couldn't be dead already, could she?! No! She had to be here!

"Ari! Come down here!" I heard Colette call from the second floor. I bolted from my current position and ran down the staircase as quickly as I could manage without tripping. Colette was standing next to a tall woman with long blonde hair and light blue eyes that looked all too familiar. I almost burst into tears.

"Astrid!" I cried, wrapping my arms carefully around the woman. "Goddess, I thought they had killed you!" I felt an unending river of relief flow through my muddled thoughts.

Astrid hesitated, then patted my head affectionately. "I'm not dead, as you can see. You came to my rescue, thank goodness. How are Marta and my husband?"

I pulled away and rubbed my eyes, trying to clear away my tears before they fell. "Your husband was about to tear this place apart to find you, but I told him that it would be better if I went instead. After all, if you…disappeared, then Marta would still have at least one parent. But I swore I'd save you, so we have to get you out of here!"

"Leave the prisoners to me," Neil announced, his first spoken sentence since entering the ranch.

"Will you be able to get all of them out of the ranch?" Raine asked. "With so many people, I doubt you could make it without notice."

"Don't worry," he said. "The Palmacosta Army will be arriving soon. I will stay here and help everyone escape safely. Please save Chocolat for me."

I nodded vigorously as a small wave of nausea swept over me. Now that Astrid's life was no longer in as much danger as I'd thought, I was free to focus my adrenaline on taking down Magnius. But how many more Desians would we have to kill in order to find him? How many more half elves would lose their lives today? It was unfair, and yet just and the same time. They deserved death, but the hands of an innocent would have to be dirtied in order for that to happen.

Just like in the game, one of the little boys handed Lloyd a blue card and darted off into the mass of prisoners, giving us the first key to Magnius' control room. I instantly remembered the locations of the next two cards, though the location of the purple card made me feel uneasy. It was in the possession of one of the Desian sorcerers. He'd be a tough nut to crack. The red card was in a chamber not to far away.

We left the room and headed down the corridor we had yet to explore. Neil would handle the prisoners, leaving us with Magnius and Chocolat to deal with.

"A boy gave me this card a little while back," Lloyd said as he produced the blue card from his pocket. "He said the Desians were treating it as if it were really important."

"It must be a key to something really big, then," Genis said. "Why else would they treat it like that?"

"May I see it?" I asked Lloyd. He handed it over carefully and I studied it thoroughly. It looked exactly like my work badge on Earth. It had a long barcode across the back, and I could easily see small numbers etched into the sturdy material.

"It's a cardkey," I said absentmindedly. "Usually used to open locks. If it's really important and obviously treated like it, then there might be only one of it. We need to keep it safe."

"I'll take it," Raine said, holding out her open hand.

I handed it to her and folded my arms over my chest and voiced my thoughts.

"I'm thinking if there's one keycard, then it must open something important. Something like a room full of Exspheres or maybe even the door that leads to Magnius. But if the latter were true, then wouldn't the Desians take extra precaution when protecting their leader?"

"Wait," Lloyd said with a frown, "you're saying there might be _more than one card?_"

"Exactly…," I replied. "If it were me, I'd want all the protection I could ask for, even if I were as strong as Kratos. There's no sense in being sloppy with security."

"You have a point," Raine said, "but how exactly do you suggest we find the other cards, _if_ there are more?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but paused, my smart streak reaching its end. "I really have no idea." I scratched the back of my head. "Believe me, if I knew how, I'd share…"

"Your streaks of intelligence are short-lived," Genis muttered.

I bopped him on the head and whispered, "Yeah, I know. If they weren't, though, you'd have some serious competition, kid."

"Still, let's focus on getting to Magnius," Kratos said, cutting off the curt reply Genis was about to give me. "We don't have the liberty to waste time with Chocolat still in the base."

When Kratos mentioned Chocolat, everyone's faces lit up with determination. Not a single one of us was going to deny the fact that his words were true to the core. I wanted to rescue Chocolat just as much as anyone else, despite the bad feeling in my stomach. It was just that…that maybe something was going to go wrong. Something felt off. We'd barely seen any Desians during our exploration of the base. I didn't like it.

We were soon walking down the next hallway, being as careful as possible as we went. My thoughts before had been right; there were very few Desians in the halls. But then…where had they all gone?

"Ari, is something the matter?" Raine whispered as we entered a new room. I grimaced and hugged my sides, feeling my stomach act up again. "You look like you're about to be sick."

"I feel like it, Raine. I don't know why, but I feel like something's wrong," I replied in a hushed tone so the others couldn't hear. "Have you noticed the lack of Desians?"

"I have noticed, and I have the feeling that you're thinking the same thing as Kratos and myself."

"You think we're walking straight into a trap?" I asked, looking her straight in the eyes.

"I think so. But, Ari, what other choice do we have? We can't abandon the ranch now. Magnius will escape and retaliate."

"I know…" I murmured. "Let's just keep going, then."

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" she asked. I gave a firm nod and smiled wearily.

"It's just the smell. It's getting to me."

She nodded and walked a few paces ahead, joining Genis in the middle. I took a few seconds to explore the current room with my eyes. We were in a large room with two computers and a machine that reacted when the Sorcerer's Ring was used. That stupid radar thing. I'd always hated that thing. It made all the monsters disappear from view, and the treasures it revealed were silly little gels or less-than-useful equipment. But whatever. I just wanted this to be over.

We found both of the cards within a few minutes, and we were off to face Magnius before I realized it. We were making good time in the ranch. Hopefully we'd be able to make it back to Palmacosta before sunset. Walking to the city with a massive amount of people might raise an alarm within the city. But of course, that was just my overactive imagination at work. Again. I sighed softly and caught sight of a large door with three key slots next to it.

We were there. If the teleport maze wasn't there, we were meters away from Chocolat and Magnius. All at once, several strategies popped into my head, claiming to be the best way of swiftly defeating the first Desian Leader. Having Genis and I cast ice and water spells would make it somewhat easy, but if everyone attacked him all at once from all sides, the Desian wouldn't stand a chance. Of course, he probably knew exactly how we fought, so he'd have already formed a plan.

I quickly glanced around the hall as Lloyd slid the first card into its slot. It wasn't hard to find a camera, seeing as it was somewhat bulky and hard to miss. It looked as if it had been randomly shoved in the upper alcove and left there to be adjusted later. It was sloppy work, and the temptation of shooting it the ever casual 'third' at it was almost overwhelming. My finger itched to move, but I clenched and fist and watched Lloyd finish with the lock and open the door.

We quickly moved into the next room and immediately heard a familiar female voice shouting.

"Let go of me! Let go!"

"Chocolat!" Lloyd cried, immediately lunging at the nearest Desian. He took out two before Kratos handled the last one. The look on Chocolat's face when she saw all of us…it was genuine surprise.

"You came to rescue me?" she asked, in complete disbelief.

"Yup! Are you okay? Were you hurt?" Colette asked.

"No," Chocolat replied with a sigh of relief. "I'm okay. I can't believe…you came to rescue me…Thank you."

"Ah, no problem," Lloyd said quickly. His tone was casual, but his expression was that of someone who was at a loss for words. I believe the word was 'flustered'.

"This is no time to be celebrating," Kratos said sternly. "We still need to take care of Magnius."

"Then let's go," I replied in a less-than-happy tone. "I'm more than willing to get the hell out of here."

Raine frowned at my words and said, "We need to find Magnius and take him down. With him out of the way, Neil can help the remaining prisoners escape without fear."

"Dorr finally mobilized his plans, didn't he?" Chocolat asked quietly, her eyes filling up with hope. "He's finally done it."

"Uh…yeah," Lloyd replied, his voice faltering. I picked at a dot of blood on my exsphere, trying not to shout, '_Do you see any soldiers here?! It's just the Chosen, who chose to risk her life for you, and her friends!_' But I just gritted my teeth as Chocolat described the control room and led the way to the teleport pad. I took a deep breath before I stepped onto the pad, savoring the last deep breath I was probably going to get for the next fifteen or so minutes. I closed my eyes for a split second, then found myself in Magnius' control room.

The control room was huge, to say the least. It was oval-shaped with a computer and keyboard built into every possible space. There was a large pillar in the middle, and I could just barely see the bottom of Magnius' feet dangling from the front.

He was there. Magnius was there, not twenty feet away, enjoying the fact that he had the Chosen in his grasp. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as soon as he spoke.

"So the forsaken Chosen and her entourage of vermin have finally arrived."

"For…saken?" Kratos muttered, his expression taking on a hint of confusion.

Magnius' floating chair floated out of the central pillar and swiveled around, revealing him in all his disgusting glory. His hair was a strange mix of red and gray dreadlocks pulled back by a large black band, and his body was riddled with scars. I was willing to bet some of them had been caused by a certain disco angel with a bad temper.

"You've got it all wrong, Magnius. You're the one that's forsaken! Your time here ends now!"

Suddenly the door behind us opened and spawned at least ten or fifteen Desians, all ready for battle.

"So that's what you were doing," I growled at the ones closest to me. They sneered right back at me.

"Trapped just like a bunch of _stupid_ vermin!" Magnius cackled as he stepped down from his chair. "I know your every move! I also know about those filthy vermin trying to escape!"

A projector screen rolled down from the ceiling, and the image of Neil and several prisoners appeared. As the others talked, I felt my heart stop for a minute as I noticed Astrid among the prisoners, and realized what Magnius was thinking.

"I know," the Desian said wickedly. "How about it recreate that incident in Iselia using the vermin on the projector? Watch. I'll unleash their Exspheres and turn them into monsters!"

"No, stop!" Lloyd cried.

"Don't you dare!!" I roared, a cold feeling prickling at the back of my mind. It spread slowly from there, and soon I felt cold all over. I could feel the sadness and loneliness I'd felt back in the Ossa Mines come back, and I could see the black shadows lapping at the top of my glove on my left arm. I covered it quickly, trying to keep the others from seeing. Of course, they were focused on Magnius and the projection, so they hadn't seen it.

"Come on now," Magnius cooed with a sneer. "I'd be more than happy to turn them into monsters, just like that old lady you killed… Just like Marble! Hahahaha!"

Oh god…

"Marble?" Chocolat echoed. Her expression grew from anxiousness to complete fear and horror. "You…you don't mean…"

"Oh, but I do, my little Chocolat," the Desian replied. "Dear old granny Marble was sent to the Iselia ranch, where she was killed by Lloyd." He sent a sneer Lloyd's say and added, "I heard she met a _pitiful end_!"

"Wait," Genis cried, "it wasn't like that! Lloyd tried to save her! But the Desians turned her into a monster and-"

"Lloyd killed her," Magnius finished.

I glanced at Lloyd and immediately felt my heart rip in half. His eyes were hollow and sad, as if he'd just started a long chain reaction of deaths. At any rate, he couldn't even raise his eyes to look Chocolat in the face. The agony he must've been going through in that moment must've been immeasurable.

"No…" Chocolat murmured, tears pooling in her eyes. "It can't be…Grandma…"

"Chocolat," Raine said quickly, "please understand-"

"Leave me alone!" she shrieked. "I refuse to be saved by Grandma's murderer! I'd rather die!"

At that point, I was ready to walk up to her and slap her hard enough to make her teeth fall out. But I just settled with yelling. Yelling always makes you feel better.

"You idiot!" I began as I stalked towards her. "Don't you DARE say something like that! Don't even think of acting like a drama queen here, because it's either you suck it up and let us get you to safety, or you take the chance of being killed! Think of you mother!! How's she gonna react when she hears her daughter decided to play victim and run away, huh?! Are you really willing to hurt her like that?! And think of Lloyd, goddammit! Don't you think he's been hurt enough by this?! Think of someone other than yourself!"

Chocolat visibly flinched at my words, but I held her gaze, matching her previous glare with one of my own. "If you really want to take the chance of dying, then be my guest."

"Ari!" Lloyd shouted. "How can you-"

"It's her choice, Lloyd," I growled. "You can't force someone to make a real decision. If she wants to, let her learn the hard way. Let her see what it's like to be a real victim."

Chocolat seemed at a loss for words, but then she cried, "…Dorr will save me. Leave me alone!"

"Hahahaha! Right, Dorr, huh. Well, whatever. Take her away!" Magnius commanded.

"And so the girl makes her decision. I know exactly how mommy will feel," I spat vemomously. I didn't even bother looking her in the eye as she was dragged away, too angry to even look at Lloyd or Colette. Lloyd darted towards the Desians to help Chocolat, shouting at them to bring her back, but stopped when the door locked behind them.

I just shook my head and lunged at Magnius, a mass of lightning mana charged up in my hand. He blocked it and swung at me with his ax. I backed away and fired off several shots of ice mana for a while as Genis began casting a myriad of spells. Lloyd and Kratos immediately ran to the frontlines, while Colette began casting Angel Feathers, attempting to find an opening in the Desian's guard.

"Ari," Raine said from behind me, "when we get out of here, we need to talk."

"Fine. Then let's kill this bastard and get the hell out of here."

I ran at the Desian Cardinal again, this time taking the long way around to his back, and smashed my lighting-charged fists down onto the hand holding the ax. He gave a shout of pain and leapt back, nursing his numb wrist.

"You'll pay for that, vermin," he growled at me.

"It's over, Magnius," I replied. "You can't win now that you're weaponless."

"Oh, but I can," Magnius retorted, pointing to the projection with a crude smile. "How about I turn those people into monsters now? I think I'll start with that blonde woman in the middle."

My eyes flew to the screen and immediately found Astrid, who was standing in the middle of the walkway with Neil. She seemed to be trying to help him calm everyone down. My insides turned cold as Magnius stood up and backed towards a computer on the other side of the room. He was going to do it. Dear god, he was going to kill them all!

_He was going to kill Astrid!!_

I felt the cold feeling come back to my arm, but this time I let it run rampant. The black shadows exploded from my Exsphere and covered all of my arm and part of my neck and chest. It must've looked horrible, because Magnius stopped dead in his tracks, his fingers inches from the keyboard.

"Touch that keyboard," I hissed, "and you die the most painful death you can think of."

He hesitated, and that was all I needed. I ran at him and pused him away from the computer and keyboard, using all my strength to keep him from pushing his way back. But a touch was all I needed. Images similar to the ones I saw in the Ossa Trail flooded my mind. I saw people gathering around, their eyes filled with hatred and fear. Then everything was dyed red with blood, and I saw those same people laying the streets of an unknown city, dead. I cringed as words followed the pictures.

_Don't hurt me. It's not my fault. I can't see. So much blood. Why me? What did I do? Is it because I'm a half elf? I'm going to kill you all. I did good. They wanted to hurt me. They all deserved it. They deserved it…THEY DESERVED IT!!_

They were Magnius' memories. Memories of being hurt and of being in pain.

Suddenly the images were gone, and I felt Magnius' wrist slip from my grasp. I felt something warm splash onto my face as I stumbled backwards. My vision was blurred, but I could just barely see the splash of color that was Kratos, his sword sticking straight through Magnius' stomach. The ground under us was covered in bloody streaks and footprints. I could hear faint voices, but my hearing was impaired, and I couldn't make anything out.

I stood there for what felt like an hour, but I knew it had only been a few minutes because I saw Magnius finally die and fall into the huge pool of his own blood. He was dead. Astrid was safe.

"Ari?! Ari, are you alright?!"

My gaze drifted to Colette and Genis, who were watching me fearfully.

"Y…yeah…I'm just…a little tired, I guess…"

"What was that attack?" Genis demanded. "Your entire left arm turned black! And when you touched Magnius, both of you froze up completely! What happened?!"

"Uh…I dunno…can we talk about it later, maybe? My head's…all fuzzy right now," I mumbled, my words almost slurred. The part about my head being fuzzy was true. The only lie I told was the part about talking about it later. I didn't want to talk about it. That attack…it shouldn't have happened at all.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw another screen displaying a live feed from somewhere in the base. The video showed Chocolat and her two Desian captors rushing out of the base with several other prisoners, none of which I recognized. Chocolat tripped, and the Desian nearest to her brought his whip down on her back. I pursed my lips and turned my head away, a disgusted feeling growing in my stomach. I'd said some pretty harsh things to Chocolat, but I had meant them either way.

"What about the Exspheres implanted on the prisoners," Kratos asked, his calm completely untouched. "Without Keycrests, it's only a matter of time before they go out of control."

"Can't we just take them off?" Genis asked.

Kratos shook his head. "No. Attempting to remove an Exsphere lacking a Keycrest is extremely dangerous. I imagine only a dwarf could do it."

"Then we'll ask Dirk to do it," Colette said simply.

"Yeah, let's contact my dad!" Lloyd said, his mood finally picking up.

"We can discuss details later. I'm also going to program this place to self destruct."

That phrase lit up my head like a searchlight in the sky. That's right…we had to blow the place up. Lloyd, Colette, and Genis assaulted her with questions, but I just crossed my fingers and prayed we'd be able to get out in time. Raine had it set to go off in ten minutes, which would give us just enough time to get out and well into the forest.

And boy, did we book it out of there. Raine hit the switch and turned on the self destruct, and we ran as quickly as we could from the ranch. But as we left the control room, I could've sworn I'd seen Magnius twitch. But I brushed it off and ran, my sight set on the exit, and the safety of the dense forest beyond it.

* * *

Once we were out of the ranch, we nearly froze when we found Neil preparing to go inside.

"Neil!!" I shouted. "Come on! We have to move!!"

"Why?!" Neil replied in a confused tone.

"It's going to explode!" Colette cried as she ran past us.

I swear, the look on Neil's face could easily be compared to the expression made when someone is told that there's a bomb in the car they were driving. For a minute, it looked like he'd wet his pants, but when the initial shock disappeared from his face, he booked it faster than I thought any man could run. He was Roadrunner, and we were all Coyote.

Five minutes later, the ranch exploded. At first it felt like an earthquake, but then we saw the flames, and then the sound hit us like a tidal wave. I froze up instantly and covered my neck with my hands, reverting to the system the schools on earth used. Cover your neck, crouch down, and keep low.

When the ground stopped rumbling unstably, we began walking towards Palmacosta, all heaving a sigh of relief.

"I thought I was gonna die. I'm so tired…," Lloyd said exasperatedly.

I rubbed at a large bloodstain on my glove and grimaced. "Goddess knows these stains will never come out…," I grumbled.

"I think we have more important things to worry about," Kratos said.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Lloyd and I said I unison. I glanced at Lloyd, shook my head, then asked, "Where are the prisoners? Did you get them to Palmacosta, Neil?"

"Yes. They're under the watch of the army right now. What happened to Chocolat?"

"We think she was taken to another location," Raine said.

"I see," Neil replied glumly. I instantly felt the gazes of several people on me, and I folded my arms over my chest and looked away. They were making me angry. I didn't like to be stared at.

The rest of the conversation, consisting of sending a letter to Dirk and going to talk to Dorr, passed in a blur. I drifted in and out of listening the entire time, simply watching the sky above us turn dark with the coming night. We would arrive at Palmacosta within a few hours, but I wanted to go and see if Astrid was okay. That was what I was focused on.

"Ari, can we talk?" Raine asked quietly.

I tensed up as Raine approached me and placed a hand on my shoulder. She gently led me away from the group, then turned me around so I was facing her.

"You want to explain why you shouted at Chocolat like that?" she asked.

I looked over her shoulder at the others, who were glancing at us curiously, and shook my head.

"I was overwhelmed with an intense hatred for her insensitive words," I said tersely. "I didn't like her attitude. In my mind, she should've swallowed her pride and let us rescue her." I looked Raine in the eyes and added, "And the way she spoke to Lloyd made me want to knock her teeth out."

Raine blinked in surprise, then shook her head sadly.

"That 'condition' you said you had…what is it?" she asked.

"Hmph…It's called Bipolar Depression. I have happy highs, abysmal depressions, and enough mood swings to give someone whiplash."

"I hardly think it's that serious," Raine replied simply.

"So you think it's all in my head too, huh?" I interrupted briskly. "I thought as much. Don't worry about me, though. Focus on rescuing Miss Chocolat, and I'll deal with my drepression on my own." I brushed past her and added, "Just like I always have."

Out of nowhere, Raine's hand found my cheek, and I instantly felt its sting. Tears sprang to my eyes as I nursed the large red mark on my face, and I bit my cheek accidentally. I could taste the blood.

"Don't take that tone with me, Ari," she scolded. "Is this how you treat someone who is trying to help you?"

Her words struck home, and I looked her in the eyes. "You're…trying to help me?" I paused for a second, then asked, "Why…why would you do that?"

"Because you opened up to us," she replied softly. "Because you are a friend."

"Because…I'm a friend?" I echoed. "No…No one's ever said that before…" All at once, a million emotions crashed against my mind, and I realized I was crying. I was happy, sad, confused, and elated all at once, and most of all, I felt freed; freed from just a little of the past's cold knife stabbing my heart and freed from the tight grip of loneliness.

And then Raine wrapped her arms around me. I felt warmth and happiness flood through me, and the cold itching in my hand receded. When she gave me that hug, it felt like everything was going to work out for once. I had this strange feeling that told me not to feel so hateful towards everything. So I decided right there that I was going to do everything I could to try and change myself. Even if it was only one microscopic piece at a time, I would do it.

But for now, Palmacosta awaited us…and so did Dorr and Kilia.

* * *

We arrived at Palmacosta by sundown, and we were dead tired. Or, at least Lloyd, Genis, and I were tired. Colette was as chipper as ever, and Raine and Kratos seemed just fine.

But we pressed onward to the government building, and we quickly found the place to be empty. It took a few moments, but Colette finally managed to hear Dorr talking to the two Desians in the basement. I began to think of scenarios where I valiantly saved him from being killed by Kilia, but those were quickly squashed by thoughts of being found out by everyone. They'd start asking how I'd figured out Kilia wasn't really Kilia, and then they'd get suspicious, and so on and so forth. I wasn't thinking it wouldn't be worth it, because saving Dorr would be great. It was just that I didn't want to be sent away by Martel, even though she probably didn't have the energy to do it. Ugh, I was giving myself a headache just thinking about it all.

I let myself space a little as we went downstairs and confronted Dorr. I felt pity for the poor man. What he was hoping for couldn't be given by the Desians. If only someone had told him that before he'd betrayed the entire city for his wife.

"S-so that's it!" Dorr shouted, getting close to hysteria. "You betrayed me, Neil!"

"Governor-General! The Chosen destroyed the ranch for us. Please, stop this foolishness…"

Kilia's eyes widened, and I fixed her with a glare. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"What?…What have you done?! You…destroyed Clara's hopes of living!" Dorr howled, his face turning red with anger.

"I don't know who that is," Lloyd said warily, "but we saved everyone at the ranch. Except for Chocolat."

"…Saved?!" Dorr echoed. "Th…that's funny! All right, then! Just try saving Clara!" He walked to the last cell and yanked the sheet right off it. "Save my wife!"

"Oh my god," I whispered, tears pooling in my already bloodshot eyes. It was so hard to look at, but I couldn't pull my gaze away from her.

That's when I saw Clara. I saw what happens to humans whose Exspheres are corroded or removed. Her skin was stretched and dark green, the veins under her skin a clearly visible purple color. Her face no longer had a mouth, and her eyes had seemed to merge into one in the center of her forehead. The dress she wore was completely tattered, and it just barely clung to her twitching frame.

"That's right. This is what's become of my wife, Clara!" Dorr said grimly. "So just how do you plan on helping her now that the Desians won't?! With them gone, the only way to remove the Demon Seed in my wife has disappeared!"

"Stop talking like you're the only victim!" Lloyd shouted. "I'm sorry about your wife. But think of all those people who believed in you, only to be sent off to the ranch! Any of them may have wound up just like your wife!"

"Silence, boy! Do not act as if your justice is absolute!"

Dear god, watching this is on earth had been hard. Here, we didn't have the ability to skip entire dialogues by pressing start or the A button. So, I had to sit through the whole shebang and listen to Dorr and Lloyd go back and forth, yammering about justice and being victims. I just wanted to go to bed. I didn't want to fight anymore.

Then I blinked, and Dorr was on the ground, bleeding from a deep stab wound in his back. I instantly looked to Kilia, who worn a large red stain on her dress now. She switched forms, going from a little girl to a large purple creature that resembled a skeleton with only a thin layer of skin over its bones.

"I am a servant of Pronyma, leader of the Five Grand Cardinals who rule over the Desians. I was merely assigned to observe the new human cultivation technique, developed by Magnius. There's no way that a superior half-elf such as I, could have a fool of a father like this!"

Instant flare of hatred.

"Damn you, you little bitch! Don't you dare mock him like that!" I roared.

I don't know why a lashed out like that, but I felt like I had to. He was a loving, albeit lonely, father who was trying to save his wife. Despite his doing so many horrible things to the people of the city, I couldn't help but defend him from Kilia's hurtful words. When under stress, some people tend to not notice some things.

Kilia fell quickly under our raging onslaught, but she still managed to set Clara free. Clara lurched from the cell and landed unstably in front of us. I felt her gaze fall on each of us, and I tried to calm myself as much as possible before telling her exactly what I wanted to.

"Clara, we're going to heal you. You don't have to worry, because we'll make sure to find the cure. I know it. I promise. Just hang on until them, ok?" I smiled as I spoke, and Clara paused to listen before she lunged past us and up the stairs, nearly smashing the door down as she went. I cursed and ran after her, calling back to the others to help Dorr as I ran.

Even as I sprinted as fast as my legs would allow, I barely managed to keep up with Clara. I don't know why I followed her, but I just did. I knew what would happen to Dorr, and I didn't want to be around when he died. So I ran after Clara, trying to guide her as quietly as possible out of the city. It was pretty easy actually, because it was well past closing time for everything. People were probably in bed as we ran by their houses.

Suddenly Clara and I were at the northern gate, or at least I was. Clara was already halfway to the forest, and I doubted she would be coming back any time soon.

"I'll make you better, Clara," I told myself firmly. "This, I swear on my time here, and the memories I make."

With that, I turned and began walking back towards the government building, completely winded. Damn, I was going to sleep well for the next few nights. Nothing like walking around for god knows how many hours without any rest.

"Ari, there you are," a familiar baritone voice called out. I squinted into the shadows, only to find Kratos, his arms crossed over his chest. "Why did you run off without us?"

"I wanted to make sure Clara got out of the city without attracting attention."

"I doubt anyone would notice her at this hour. Everyone should be sleeping."

"Is it that late?" I asked with a yawn. "Damn, I need to sleep too."

He was silent as I walked by, then said, "You act strangely every time someone mentions a parent. You said you didn't know your parents, but I have my doubts."

I was about to say I only had one parent, but I instantly covered my mouth and doubled my pace. I wouldn't let him catch me. I wouldn't let him see that I was close to tears again. I was showing weakness, and I was showing it to my enemy. I was done with talking to him.

I made it to the inn before he could catch me, and found everyone awake with grim expressions. They looked extremely tired.

"What happened to Dorr?" I asked quietly.

"He…died," Colette said hesitantly. "We couldn't save him."

"Oh…I see," I replied. I sat down on the bed next to her and kept my gaze locked on the floor, even as Kratos entered.

"We should get some rest," he said bluntly. "There's no point in grieving if we simply let it fester."

"You're right," Raine said with a glum nod. "Everyone, get to bed."

No one objected, not even Lloyd, who always seemed to argue with her. We were all too emotionally drained to even speak. The men left for the room next door, leaving me, Raine, and Colette alone. I had a feeling I wasn't going to sleep well with the image of Magnius' bleeding corpse splattered inside the walls of my mind, but I didn't care. I just wanted sleep.

* * *

Leave reviews, please, even if their only smiley faces! Anonymous ones are okay, too!

:]


	13. Of Wills and Water

I can't believe it. I just can't believe it. So many people are faving and alerting my story after that last chapter that I think I'm going to cry! T^T You guys (and gals ^_^) are just awesome! Jeez, my other stories aren't getting this much attention put together! It makes me happy to know that.

BTW, thanks to those of you who left me smiley faces! Even reviews without words make my day!

Anyway, this whole chapter was supposed to be a bit of a pick-me-up after the previous chapter's...unfortunate occurence in (and after) the Human Ranch. I felt like showing you another side/personality of mine, so read on and enjoy!

**Don't own, don't sue. Flame and you die.**

* * *

Chapter 13: Of Wills and Water

Morning came quickly for me, and I found I was well rested and ready to make the journey to Thoda Geyser. I had a feeling we weren't going to take a rest day in Palmacosta. Of course, the mood was still pitifully sad after the previous day's events, and the combined depression of everyone except Kratos, who was just impassive, and myself was very…dreary. I did _not_ like seeing them frown like that. I even missed the one-sided fights between Lloyd and Kratos! But no, today would be spent being depressed, and that would in turn make me depressed, and…

"Dammit, everyone, _smile_!" I roared, throwing my hands up in the air as everyone sat down to a breakfast of cabbage rolls. We were all sitting in the men's inn room, and it felt like the hands of death were upon us. _Or Manos, the Hands of Fate. Oh god, curse you Mystery Science Theater and your horrible yet stupidly hilarious movies!_

Of course, the entire group looked at me like I was crazy.

"What are you talking about, Ari?" Lloyd asked glumly.

I fixed him with a stone hard glare and grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Well, you, for starters! Why the hell aren't you smiling and cracking jokes with Genis?!"

"Back off, Ari," he said in a low voice. "I don't feel happy today."

"But everyone's happier when you smile!" I said bluntly. "Geez, whenever I feel sad and I see you smiling, I end up feeling great! I'm sure you'll feel better if you tried to smile!"

"I don't feel like it," he repeated, averting his eyes in the process.

"Oh, come on…," I groaned. "Someone, crack a smile and give me a laugh!" I stabbed my finger in Kratos' direction and added, "Kratos, give us a smile!" I rethought my words, then said, "No, wait, that's too much. Try a smirk. A smirk would do wonders for us! Now, if you smiled, I'd spontaneously combust from shock!"

"Ari, quiet down and eat," Raine mumbled.

I dropped my finger and heaved a heavy sigh, stuffing my cabbage roll into my mouth. This was going nowhere. I felt like I had to something to help Lloyd and the others feel better. If I didn't, it would drive me up a wall and into the upper floor, both physically and mentally.

Completely exasperated, I threw my hands up in the air again and stood. "Well, if anyone wants to talk to me, I'll be in the market with my friend Astrid. She should be doing great, _since she's been rescued from the ranch_." I emphasized the last few words to try and get my point across, but no one seemed to hear me.

Then a plan formed in my head.

I left the room, grabbing one of Lloyd's swords from their place by the door on the way out. As I shut the door and booked it down the stairs, a mischievous grin appeared on my face. _This will force Lloyd to come looking for me as soon as he notices_, I thought to myself. _And when that happens, I can only hope that I had everything set up. If my plan doesn't work, then Lloyd will probably hate me. Or just be mad at me for a day or so. I can handle it…maybe._

I quickly made my way into the market with a smile on my face. Everyone who saw me smiled right back. Either they were simply returning it, or they knew me from the ranch. Both reasons suited me just fine. At least they were strong enough to smile today. Not to mention news of the ranch's destruction had probably spread like wildfire among the crowds of the market.

"Ah, there's nothing like a little truthful gossip to start the morning," I said to myself as I skipped down the pier. "I feel especially light today. Maybe I'll on my techs for a bit!" I grinned as I began planning all sorts of new ways to improve my spells. I was so used to using lightning mana because it was quick and effective that I barely used any of my other spells. I wanted to focus more on fire mana for now. Sure, Adulocia or whatever in Thoda Geyser was water based, and therefore weakest against lightning, but I was tired of my hands buzzing after every attack. I wanted to feel something else.

"Oh, Ari! What a surprise!"

I stopped skipping just as I reached Astrid's shop. She was placing a 'Closed' sign on the counter when I approached.

"Astrid, it's great to see you up and about!" I said happily. I gestured to the sign and asked, "Are you going shopping?"

"Yes, actually. Brute and Marta should be out here soon," she replied with a smile.

"Is the Exsphere…giving you any trouble?"

"Not really. Should I be worried?" Her eyes searched mine, but I only shook my head.

"It shouldn't be much trouble for now, but we need to get you a Keycrest as soon as possible. My friends and I will be sending a letter to a dwarf we know, and he'll make sure everyone who was in the ranch gets a Keycrest."

Astrid gave a little sigh of relief and nodded. "I'm glad. I was finally able to get my arm out of that sling, only to have that strange gem put on me."

"I'm sorry, Astrid. I should've warned you about the attack…"

"You knew they would attack the city?" she asked, her voice taking on an alarmed but hushed tone. I quickly shook my head, quickly coming up with a lie.

"No, no! I only had a hunch. I'd heard that the Desians were gearing up for something, and I just thought…"

"I see," she said evenly. She looked me in the eyes and smiled. "And yet I still stand here before you, well and unharmed."

"And I'm happy for that!" I replied eagerly.

"We're ready, mom!" Marta called from behind the store. The girl came out from inside the tiny shop, dragging her tall father by the hand. "Come on, daddy! Let's go!"

"Hello, Brute," I said cheerfully. "Hi, Marta!"

"Oh, hello, Ari. I'm glad to see you're in such good spirits," Brute said with a small smile.

"Hi, Ari! Thanks so much for rescuing my mom!" Marta exclaimed, nearly knocking the wind out of me with a hug. I made sure to catch my breath before answering.

"It was no trouble, Marta. I was glad to do it."

"I, too, am very grateful to you, Ari," Brute said as he held out his hand. "Thank you for rescuing Astrid in my place."

I took his outstretched hand and shook it. "There's no need to thank me, you guys. In fact, there are five others who you should be thanking instead of me. They did more than I ever could."

"Well, let's go and do just that," Astrid declared, taking her husband's hand in hers. "I would like very much to thank them properly."

I nodded and led them towards the inn, skipping with Marta most of the way. I felt a strong connection to these people now. It didn't feel like they were strangers anymore. It almost felt like…a loose version of a family. It made me feel like I belonged somewhere, just like what Raine had told me the previous night. I wasn't alone anymore. I had friends. Great friends who cared for me. And that felt great deep down in my shattered-but-slowly-healing heart. If only I could stay buried in this feeling forever…

"Say, Ari, how is it that you fight?" Brute asked.

I slowed my skipping to a stop and turned around, holding out my hands. I gathered fire mana in one hand and water mana in the other, and said, "I can control mana in its raw form, supposedly. I don't really know how, but I have a feeling that Martel wanted me to use this power to help the Chosen." I let the mana disperse from my hands, then added, "At least, that's what I think."

"Well, I think it's amazing!" Marta said, her expression clearing showing her level of awe. I blushed at her forwardness, scratching the side of my head with embarrassment.

"Th-thank you, Marta. I'm happy you think so."

"Hey, have you ever tried breathing fire?" she asked randomly. "You know, like they do in those traveling groups of performers?"

I blinked in surprise, then shook my head.

"No, but it sounds like something I would like," I said with a smile. "Once I'm out of the city, I'll work on that for you. And when I'm done, I'll come back and show you."

"And maybe you'll come up with even more tricks while you're on your journey!" Marta exclaimed as she jumped up and down in excitement. "I can't wait to see them!!"

"Neither can I, Marta," I replied. "Neither can I."

We finally reached the inn, only to find out Lloyd and the others had left for the Governor's Office. I frowned and relayed the news to Astrid, Brute, and Marta.

"Looks like we'll have to thank them another time," Astrid said quietly.

"Shoot…I guess Lloyd didn't notice I took one of his swords," I murmured glumly, placing a hand on the sword tied to my side.

"Oh, you think?" an angered voice called from ahead. I flinched at the tone and untied the sword before throwing it to Lloyd, who was stomping towards me with a pissed off look on his fac. Jeez, to say he looked pissed would be a bit of an understatement.

"Sorry I took it, Lloyd, but at least you're not sad anymore," I said as he stalked towards me. The others were just walking over the bridge to join us.

"'Sorry?' What is up with you?!" he shouted. "You're depressed and grim-faced at sunset, apathetic at night, and now you're happier than I've ever seen you! What is your damage?!"

"Damage?" I hissed. He'd crossed the line right there. I turned to Astrid and her family and said, "Excuse me for a second. I need to talk to my friend."

Astrid and Brute nodded and walked a little ways down the road, Marta skipping along after them. I waited until they were out of earshot before turned on Lloyd, my eyes livid with rage.

"So now I'm damaged?! I think _you're_ the one that's damaged, Lloyd! You'd think that maybe after facing death _THAT MANY TIMES_ in one night you might feel a little bit happy to be _alive_! Maybe 'relieved' would be better suited for your current state of being!"

I clenched my fists and advanced on him. "But no! You sit in the inn and mope about the people you _couldn't_ save! For the love of mana, Lloyd, get a grip on yourself!" I softened my tone and motioned to Marta, who was chatting happily with Astrid. "Aren't you glad that girl still has a mother _and_ a father?"

"Of course, but I can't forgive myself for letting some of the others be killed! And Chocolat-!"

"Made her choice!" I snapped. "She _chose_ to play the damsel in distress, and she _chose_ to let the Desians take her away! Hell, I tried to help her, but she wouldn't listen to reason!" I closed my eyes and folded my arms over my chest. "It was all her choice. Of course, I can't blame her if she did it for attention. That's the way you go if you want to make someone feel like shit." I felt my anger settle into an empty feeling, and I rubbed a fleck of dirt off my Exsphere.

"You drove her away! You yelled at her, and you made her run away!" Lloyd looked ready to backhand me right there, but something seemed to stop him. I didn't really care what he was thinking about. I just wanted him to be happy. Of course, my words hadn't really helped all that much.

"Maybe my words did drive Chocolat to her decision," I said quietly, "but I will not take them back. Hate me if you want, and you can go ahead and call me a piece of shit, but I mean what I say. It's just how I think." I could feel myself distancing myself from them as I spoke, and I could feel their gazes lessen slightly.

"Anyway," I continued, "what about the people we _did_ save? Life goes on, you know. It may be hard, but at least you get to see the happy faces of the people we've helped. I don't want fame or fortune. I just want the people around me to be happy. So be happy, Lloyd…please, be happy that you're alive."

Lloyd's gaze had slowly fallen to the ground during my speech, and when I finished he just nodded.

"I know you're right, but I still feel like I failed."

"I know, Lloyd," I replied, "but that just means you have to get back up and get stronger. Grieving for the ones you couldn't save is okay, but you can't dwell on it forever. You've saved countless families from losing their loved ones, and that is one of the greatest things you could ever do."

I held out my hand and grinned. "Let's be happy for those who survived."

Lloyd took my hand and shook his head, a small smile spreading over his face. "Ari, you're starting to sound like Colette."

"Am I? Well, I suppose her sweetness is starting to rub off on me!" I put a hand to my face to hide the rising blush.

"As if," Genis mumbled with a smirk. I dropped the smile from my face and glared at him, and he just grinned. So I grinned in return.

"I remember you all," Astrid said as she stepped towards us. "Thank you so much for helping us escape from the ranch."

"Yes," Brute said as he took his place by her side, "I am truly in your debt for saving my wife." He held out a hand for Lloyd to shake, and Lloyd seemed to gawk at the man's two foot advantage in height.

But he did shake Brute's hand, and Marta gave Colette and me a hug before running off to follow her parents into the market. I watched them go with a happy face, but I felt a heaviness settle in the deepest part of my heart. I knew we would see them again, but not for a long time. And would they still consider us friends, after they hear we 'abandoned' the world? I couldn't help but shudder inwardly at the thought.

"Thank you, Ari," Lloyd whispered in my ear. I blushed at his words, but more at his closeness. No one had ever gotten that close to me.

"Y-you're welcome, Lloyd," I said, nearly stammering. "I'm just glad you're smiling again. I'm glad all of you are smiling."

"It was a nice gesture," Raine said thoughtfully. "Now, we should head out. It's going to take all day to get to Thoda Geyser."

"So that's where the next seal is?" Lloyd asked.

I rolled my eyes at his silly comment. "Then let's go. I'm afraid my little escapade has taken up too much time."

"Not at all," Kratos said, his tone a bit lighter than usual, though not by much. "If we leave now, then we should reach Thoda Geyser with almost three hours of daylight left."

"Then let's go!" Genis said impatiently. "The world's not gonna get regenerated any faster if we sit around and talk!"

I saw Colette's face fall a little, despite her efforts to hide it, and I took her hand. She looked at me curiously, and I whispered, "Everything's going to be okay. I'll protect you."

She seemed to find comfort in this, but her eyes told me that she thought I couldn't keep such a promise.

I knew I could.

* * *

The journey to Thoda Dock was exactly as Kratos had said. We reached the small area within the afternoon, and the sun was getting close to setting when we asked about the island. Everyone except Raine and Kratos waited outside, happy to have another break from walking. I pulled off one of my shoes and emptied it out, watching several rocks fall to the ground. I could already see the padding in the bottom of my shoe was worn down, which would explain why every step felt like I was smacking the balls of my feet against cement. I made a mental note to buy new shoes, or at least some kind of padding, once we were back in Palmacosta.

I put my shoe back on and perched myself on the wooden fence next to Genis, who was messing around with his kendama. It reminded me of that game 'Ball in a Cup'. It seemed so stupid on Earth, but here it seemed a bit cooler. And the look on Genis' face only added to that. He had the expression of someone who had worked hard to master that skill, and he was proud of it.

I turned my attention to Lloyd. He was trying to master Beast, which he'd learned right after fighting Magnius, and was having some fun with it. Without Kratos around to boss him around, Lloyd seemed much more comfortable with his swords. I couldn't help but smile as I watched him twist around and stab at an imaginary enemy. His moves were incredibly swift and accurate. I was jealous, to say the least. He had something he was insanely good at. I just had a handful of things I was okay at.

I rubbed my eyes, clearing away the little bit of fatigue lurking close by. I had to find something to do or I'd die of boredom…

I hopped off the fence and spun in a circle, my mind drifting towards dancing. I wanted to dance so badly, but everyone would think I was weird for dancing without music. I imagined Princess Tutu and ballet, but I knew I didn't have the legs or figure for it. I imagined Lloyd and Colette and Genis joining me in the Lucky Star dance, which put a big smile on my face, and moved on to Hare Hare Yukai and the Cha Cha Slide. Oh, what fun it would be!

Then I got it.

"Genis, can you help me for a minute?" I asked quickly as I dashed towards the water's edge. He mumbled something as he followed me slowly, but I was too excited to hear it. "I need you to dump water on me if I set myself on fire."

"What are you doing, Ari?" Lloyd called as I ran past him.

I stopped and threw him a grin. "I'm going to try fire breathing!!"

"No, you aren't," a stern voice called from the building's door. I stopped in an instant, my foot sticking out over the water, and turned my head to see who was talking. Of course, Raine and Kratos were there, walking towards Genis and me with terse looks on their faces. "You'll burn yourself if you're not careful."

I dropped my foot and hung my head, realizing she was right. If I had tried, I probably would've lost an eyebrow or two.

"Yeah…I'd better wait until later…"

"Or don't try it at all," Kratos added. I glared at him, and I caught him smirking as he turned away. What a jerk…

I made a face at his back, but followed him to the washtubs tethered to the dock. I grimaced when I saw the seaweed swirling around the bottom. It looked extremely…rotten. So did the whole washtub. And the smell…ugh. It was icky, to put it mildly.

"Wait, we have to paddle to the geyser in these things?" Lloyd asked. He nudged one with his boot, and it bobbled unevenly in the murky water. I glanced at Raine and noticed her complexion had paled considerably. If I didn't know better, she was probably going to be sick in a few minutes.

"Come on, sis!" Genis urged. "Let's go!" He began pulling her towards the nearest washtub with a big grin. Raine, of course, was staring at the wooden tub as if a fish had just up-chucked it.

"Ahhh!!"

Everyone froze and stared at Raine, including myself. That scream had been funny in the game, but in this reality, it was surprising. Raine, who had always acted like the tough motherly type, had screamed.

"Professor…," Lloyd asked, "are you afraid of water?"

"No, of course not!" she replied in a flustered tone. "I was just going to say 'Ah, this should be fun!'" She moved a few inches towards one, then froze. It looked like she was ready to hurl.

"Rarf!"

Everyone jumped as Noishe bounded up onto the dock and nearly slid off the slippery wooden planks. Luckily he only slammed into Lloyd and Genis, who were knocked into the washtub behind them, narrowly missing Raine. Everything was quiet for a second, and then Colette and I burst out into laughter. Noishe's timing had been great.

"Well, at least we know the washtubs are sturdy," I said as I scratched Noishe behind the ears.

"That's not funny!" Lloyd and Genis shouted from their washtub.

I just looked to the Professor and asked, "Are you gonna be okay, Raine?"

"Y-yeah," she said after gulping down a few breaths of air. "I'll be okay…once we're done with these things."

Kratos helped her into one of the tubs, and Colette along with her, then got into the last one. The one with me in it. I groaned on the inside, but handed him a paddle. At least I had some muscle to help with the rowing.

"Rarf rarf!!"

Noishe bounded off the dock and leapt into our tub, giving both of us several licks before plopping down on the tub's watery floor. The tub bucked unstably on the water, and I nearly fell out.

"Oh jeez, Noishe, you just had to come along, eh?" I grumbled. He gave me an innocent look and licked the back of my knee, causing me to squeak and almost fall out again. "Noishe!!" I shrieked.

"Arf!"

I shook my head and laughed, then dipped the paddle into the water and began rowing. It kind of felt like canoeing, but with a bulkier boat and more weight. And the way the water slapped against the makeshift boat made even me feel sick. It wasn't the sound or the smell, but the feel of the waves jarring the tub made me feel uneasy. It was almost as if they were threatening to swallow us if we got to low into the water.

I sucked in a deep breath and began singing a merry pirate tune that popped into my head. I needed a really good distraction at the moment, and a song seemed perfect.

"YO HO, YO HO, A PIRATE'S LIFE FOR MEEEEEEEE!" I shouted at the waves.

I felt Noishe and Kratos shift behind me, and I twisted around to see what the man was doing. Noishe had his paws clamped over his huge ears, and his eyes were squeezed shut. Kratos had one hand on the makeshift rudder, but the other one was resting on his sword.

"Is that supposed to be a song?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

I shot him a glare, then asked, "Would you like me to sing better, _sir_?"

"If you choose to sing, choose a pitch that suits you," he said simply.

"Wait, you don't mind if I sing?"

"Would it stop you if I said I did?"

"Maybe," I said as I rolled my eyes.

He just smirked and went back to watching Noishe, leaving me a little confused. I had thought he would just tell me to shut up or something, but he hadn't done that. He's simply said to sing in a better pitch, which was easy to do. I hadn't even been trying before.

So I just started humming instead of singing. I was humming ever random tune that popped into my head, ranging from J-pop to the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack. I wanted to sing aloud, but if I started singing in Japanese, Kratos would be curious as to where I'd heard them, and also how I knew a non-existent language.

After about seven or eight whole songs, we found Thoda Geyser and anchored our washtubs at the dock. The air was thick and misty, almost clouding the ground from view. I made a kicking motion with my leg, and a thin layer of the light steam moved with it. Of course, I got goosebumps on my legs, and that was a very awkward feeling.

But that passed, and I found myself almost as excited as Lloyd. We were like little kids in an amusement park, and we wanted to explore every nook and cranny. Every sight was new and amazing. It's times like this that make me glad I made that promise to Martel.

Raine, on the other hand, had nearly passed out while paddling to the geyser, and was currently puking over the side of the dock. Genis was at her side, trying to make her feel better, and when Raine was done we helped her walk to solid ground. She was practically turning grass green, but that changed after a few moments of sitting on the ground.

"I am…relieved that we are here," she said, heaving a huge sigh of relief.

"Are you feeling better, Professor?" Colette asked. Raine just nodded and allowed Noishe to give her a small lick. The small gesture made me smile. Noishe was so kind, but he was such a wuss at times.

When Raine was better, we began exploring the small viewing area around the geyser. The air was moist, but the heat from the geyser's water made it feel muggy. It wasn't very pleasant, and I could tell Lloyd was annoyed by it. The piece of hair that fell in front of his face was plastering itself to his right eye, and he was having trouble keeping it out of the way. It was comical to watch, since he seemed to be getting absolutely nowhere with it.

Of course, my hair wasn't faring much better. See, my hair isn't naturally straight, or naturally wavey. No, my hair is _naturally curly_. So when it gets wet and/or humid...my hair goes _crazy_. Basically, it gets so bad that when it starts to curl, it doesn't stop curling until I've lost about three inches off the end, leaving it barely touching my shoulders. So I've pretty much got a head of fuzzy ringlets at the moment, and I don't like it. God, what I wouldn't give for my hair straightener and electricity.

After several jokes about my hair and a few threats, mostly aimed at Lloyd and Genis, we ended up searching for the pedestal. It wasn't all that hard to find, and as soon as it was located, Raine nearly went into another frenzy. She started mumbling about how excited she was to see the ruins ahead of us. Genis, of course, was turning red in the face as several people stopped to send us confused looks.

Colette quickly placed her hand on the stone, due to Raine's growing enthusiasm, and the bridge to the cavern entrance dug high in the cliff wall. But even though I was beginning to feel the adrenaline rush I'd felt at the Seal of Fire, I was casting wary glances at the crowd. I was trying to locate Sheena in the gathering mass of people, but I found it harder with each passing minute. People were just too happy to see that Colette was still alive and working hard to save the world.

With a small sigh, I followed the others up the crystal clear bridge and nearly tripped when I saw just how _clear_ it was. I could easily see into the boiling waters below us, and that made my stomach lurch angrily into my intestines. First nausea, then vertigo, then the overwhelming urge to simply turn around and wait on solid ground about ten feet back. The only thing that kept me from falling to my knees, though, was Lloyd's grip on my arm.

"You okay, Ari?" he asked.

"F-fine," I mumbled, using him for support as I squeezed my eyes shut. "Just a little…seasick, maybe?"

"Right. Just hang on to me if you need to," he offered with a smile. I averted my eyes, but held onto his sleeve as we began walking again. I felt like a child, hanging onto him like that, but I knew that if I let go, I'd probably fall. I berated myself for showing my obvious fear, but I didn't feel so bad. Raine had been a bit obvious with her fear of water. Of course, I still didn't like the fact that Lloyd, who was just as old as me, didn't show his fears as much. I felt stupid.

We reached the cave entrance, and I immediately let go of Lloyd's arm, my cheeks flaring up with embarrassment.

"Thanks, Lloyd," I said quietly.

"Anytime," he replied casually.

I took a deep breath and glanced over my shoulder, noting the fact that the bridge was no longer there. The even funnier fact was that Noishe was being cornered by Corrine and Sheena. Noishe wasn't hurt, but Sheena's face was contorted into a frown. I raised my hand in a wave, but she turned and walked off, her eyes clearly saying, 'I'll get you sooner or later.' I almost let out a laugh when Kratos appeared at my side.

"Looks like the assassin didn't make it in time."

"Yeah," I replied with a nod. "I hope she won't try and ambush us on the way out."

After a small pause, he turned around and walking into the dark cavern, his expression that of a man preparing for battle. I cracked my knuckles and followed close behind, extremely curious as to how the interior of Thoda Geyser looked.

* * *

Back on Earth, when I still had cable TV and a decent internet connection, I used to watch whatever silly movies they had programed, and most of those consisted of Sci-Fi (I refuse to acknowledge their new name) movies and movies they showed on Cartoon Network. I usually stuck to the crappy B movies on Sci-Fi, but I would occasionally partake in the watching of animated movies.

For instance, I loved watching the Pokémon movies. Hell, my favorites were the second and third ones, but only because I had followed Pokémon avidly when they came out. But I'm not dissing the new ones. If fact, I simply adore the one with Manaphy in it. I loved the song that little guy would sing to calm the Pokémon around him. It gave me chills every time. In fact, I wanted to sing that song now and see how cool it sounded in the echoing caverns. I wanted to sing that along with Lugia's Call and the song the Unknown sing when their focusing energy, but I didn't because that would be weird.

Argh, I'm losing my train of thought. I need to work on that. But, anyway, the Seal of Water basically looked like a temple in ruins. The walls, which had once displayed some kind of colored mural about a mermaid, were covered in grime and mud. Evidence of the water levels was present, seeing as it had left almost no trace of color in the tiles themselves. The floor was wet and full of seaweed, giving the place its definite 'murky' smell. I'd say it could've been mold, but I don't know what that smells like.

Pretty soon, Raine was thirty feet ahead, calling back a lecture to us, and Lloyd and Genis were just rolling their eyes. Colette was listening like she was back in school again, which I found kind of cute. She actually _paid attention_ to Raine's words. For a second, I was jealous of her attention span, and then I realized I should be listening too. _I want to learn more about the world, so let's start now._

"As an earlier text states, the seals were first discovered shortly after the first Chosen of Regeneration, Spiritua, was born. The head priest of Martel Temple traveled the world in the years before the Day of Oracle due to visions he'd seen during Spiritua's birth," Raine explained. "It is said that he saw the spirit of the Goddess Martel, who guided him to where each seal was to be located. Another text states that he saw not only the Goddess, but also Mithos the Hero. But despite all that, it was he and his disciple who were the first to see the Book of Regeneration, which was given to them by the angels at the sight where the Tower of Salvation was to appear."

"That's amazing!" Colette chirped.

"Yeah…I wish I could meet Mithos the Hero," Lloyd mumbled.

"If you did, what would you ask him?" I asked, on the verge of bursting out in laughter. _Oh, just wait until you find out the truth, Lloyd. You'll beat yourself with a rock._

"Well, I…really don't know what I'd ask him."

"Huh. Well, if could meet him, I was thinking about asking if he knew why this whole Chosen of Regeneration thing got started. I mean…it just seems kind of...mean, I guess." I dropped my eager face and trailed off.

"What are you talking about, Ari?" Genis asked. "Colette's gonna become an angel because of it."

"Yeah, but if she becomes and angel, then…won't she be lonely after centuries of living in heaven? I mean, she's not going to see any of you for…Goddess, I don't know how long. I know I'd be lonely. I'd at least want one friend with me…"

"Like your friend in Luin?" Lloyd asked. I felt my face flush at the thought of my nonexistent friend who was actually Martel.

"Y-yeah…I guess you're right."

"Speaking of your friend," Kratos said, "I don't believe you've ever given us her name."

Cue the moment where my gut splatters on the floor. I nearly tripped when he mentioned that tiny fact I'd always tried to keep from talking about, but I knew my time playing 'beat around the bush' was done. But I knew I couldn't tell them her name was Martel. That would probably give me away to Kratos. I searched through a list of names in my head and chose one that seemed the best.

"Her name's…Danica," I said quietly. I believe I might've mentioned a Suiseiseki cosplayer from my local anime convention before now? Well, that's her name. She lived a few miles away from me on Earth, and we'd actually met during an adventure at summer camp. We both took horseback riding lessons, and we were both into trading cards. Nine years, we've been friends…

"That's a beautiful name," Colette said.

I was about to say it meant 'Morning Star' in Norse, which was a language I would've left nameless, but we arrived at the end of the hallway. It widened out into a large room, with the Sorcerer's Ring device on one end and the two exits on the other. I groaned inwardly and walked over to the exits while the others fussed with the device. It was the same layout as in the game. Booooriiiiing…

I watched a small group of those shark monsters patrol the area near the stairwell through the left exit. Now _they_ looked different. They were longer, with sharper teeth and tiny yellow eyes. It creeped me out the way they trashed back and forth when they accidentally touched, and I shivered as they swam away, still gnashing their teeth menacingly at the other monsters.

"It seems we'll have to fill the small pots of water around the area in a certain order," Raine said triumphantly, happy to have deciphered a small plaque above the ring device. I blinked in false surprise and wandered out onto the right balcony, easily spying the pots, as well as the teleport pad to Adulocia.

"You mean those?" I called back. Everyone was instantly at my side and looking where I was pointing, and Raine nodded.

"Those are the very ones. Good job."

I gave a happy nod as we proceeded to start the puzzle. It wasn't all that hard, since Raine had completely deciphered the plaque and come up with an answer. It was just running up and down the stairs, fighting off sharks, and filling pots with water. We were lucky to have her with us.

As we filled the last pot, a fierce rumbling sounded from our left. The platform with the teleport to Adulocia was rising, and we were just one less step away from getting out of the seal entirely. I couldn't help but grin with anticipation.

Once inside the Chamber of the Seal, we were immediately overwhelmed by waves of mana that swirled around us in a whirlpool shape. I began to wonder why I could see it. I knew Raine and Genis could sense it, but I didn't know if they could see it. Could Kratos? Or maybe even Colette? Was this an ability Martel had given me when I'd recieved her Exsphere?

Suddenly Adulocia and her two mermaid lackeys burst forth from the seal and dove into the mana, changing it into water and swimming with the swirling current. They swam circles around us for a little bit, then reached out their seaweed-covered arms and scratched at us. Their cackles resounded around the small room as if they were using an amp, full blast. It hurt our ears.

"Cowards!" Lloyd shouted. "Show your face and fight us!"

Out of nowhere, a tail shot out of the water and smacked Lloyd so hard on the shoulder that I thought I heard something crack on impact. Raine caught him before he hit the ground out cold, and I immediately slapped the hand that tried to reach for the back of her shirt, zapping it with as much lightning energy as I could. There was a resounding shriek, and one of the smaller mermaids fell out of the water and writhed on the floor next to me. Kratos pushed past me and ran his sword through her heart, putting a stop to her shrieking and squirming. I almost lost my lunch at the sight of his sword, now slick with the mermaid's blood, being pulled from her lifeless chest.

"That was good, Ari," Kratos said quietly. "But how do we take down the other two? They won't fall for the same trick twice."

I frowned as I watched the other two mermaids swim even faster around us. They were angered by the loss of their sister, just like the dragon creatures back in the Triet Ruins.

"Why not electrocute all the water?" I asked. Kratos shook his head.

"That would require too much mana for you to handle."

"Well, if we lured one out of the water, we could douse it in alcohol and set it on fire."

Kratos gave me a funny look, and I just returned it with one of my own.

"Hey, it was just a suggestion! If we set fire to the seaweed-"

"It would go out as soon as they dove back into the water. Plus, we don't even have alcohol," Genis interrupted.

"Well, let's see you come up with something, Genis!" I said curtly.

Genis gave me a look, then said, "I already did."

I watched as he charged up mana in his kendama, then released it in the form of earth mana. A wall of stone cut its way through the water, effectively severing the current. Of course, the water sprayed everywhere, drenching each of us to our bones with sea water. I spat out a mouthful of salt water and looked at the remaining mermaids.

"Party time!" I charged at them with hands full of lightning mana. With Kratos and Colette charging with me and Genis casting spells from the rear, the mermaids didn't even stand a chance. They were fast, but not fast enough to out-swim magic.

With them gone, we turned to watch the seal for Remiel's appearance. I froze for a second as the silhouette of Undine appeared, nodded, and disappeared in a flash of blue light. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, baffled. Had Efreet done something like that? I couldn't remember…

"Chosen of Regeneration…You have done well in reaching this far," Remiel's voice called. "Now, offer your prayers at the altar."

"…yes," Colette said obediently. She approached the altar and clasped her hands in prayer, then said, "Oh Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me thy strength." In an instant, Colette's wings appeared, and she floated up a few feet off the ground.

And then Remiel appeared.

Just hearing him speak about helping the world made me think about all the horrible things he had done. He was probably the very same angel who guided all the previous Chosens to their death. I wanted to turn and walk away, but I couldn't. My feet were rooted to the spot. I kept my gaze glued to the altar below him. Unfortunately, I could still hear him speak.

But it wasn't for long. This speech seemed shorter than the last, and Remiel seemed to carry some kind of intensity with him, as if he was starting to doubt whether or not Colette would complete the journey. I couldn't help but smirk at the thought. Boy, he was going to have everything blow up in his face, and the only thing I was going to do was smile and laugh at him as he died.

* * *

Exiting the Seal of Water was easier than it had been coming in, but the mana bridge outside still made me extremely nervous. I could only cling to Lloyd again as we steadily made our way out of the Seal and down the bridge. I kept glancing at Colette, keeping an eye on her complexion. Slowly, her skin paled and her eyes glazed over, and when we reached solid ground, she hit her breaking point.

"Professor!" Lloyd shouted before I could. "Colette is-!"

Suddenly Colette collapsed , nearly taking down Genis with her. I moved to help her, but Raine reached her first and helped her sit.

"We must let her rest."

"Then it's time to set up camp," Kratos said.

"Yes, but if this happens every time she releases a seal, then Colette is going to have a difficult journey ahead of her. For now, I'll call this phenomenon Angel Toxicosis."

Colette stirred, then whispered, "It's okay, everyone. It…it'll go away soon." She closed her eyes and added, "I'm sorry."

"Okay, there's no reason for you to apologize, Colette," Lloyd said firmly. "From now on, no more apologizing."

Colette gave a weak laugh, then apologized again. Lloyd threw his arms up in the air in mock frustration and headed towards a slightly wooded area, something I'd missed on the original 'exploration' of the island. I watched as Kratos easily lifted Colette onto his back, remembering the way he'd carried me out of Ossa Trail. I hadn't realized it then, but he carried a slight glow to him when he did that. I didn't know what it was, but for now, I'd call it a remnant of his time as a loving father.

As we settled down to eat that night, Kratos announced that there would be a training session in less than an hour for me, and me alone. I stifled a groan and gave Lloyd a tired look, while he hid a relieved smile. Practicing with Kratos every night had gotten very…annoying. I wanted the night off but I didn't have the balls to say that to the mercenary's stone-cold face. I mean, could _you?_ Don't you dare lie. You know I'm right.

So after eating our dinner, which had been a bunch of sandwiches Lloyd had thrown together, I proceeded to join Kratos on the beach. He held two bottles of water in his hands.

"You suggestion of setting fire to the mermaids," he began, "I have thought about it, and I realized what you were thinking."

I gave him a confused look. "You did? You do?"

"Yes. I have seen many traveling performers, and had the opportunity to learn a few tricks, including what you called 'Breathing Fire'."

"Really? When did you see the performers?"

"I am a mercenary. I have traveled to many places, and seen many things while doing my job. I saw it performed many times while guarding the son of a wealthy man."

"Sooooo...are you going to teach it to me?" I asked suspiciously.

"No. I am merely going to instruct you on the basics. You will learn the rest with practice. Now, do exactly as I instruct." He handed me the bottle of water. I nodded vigorously and gripped the bottle, trying hard to hide my mounting excitement.

"Take a deep breath, hold it, and take a sip of water. When you've done that, exhale and make the water form a spray."

"Okay, like this?" I did as he said, but it came out in a stream instead of a spray. He shook his head, then repeated his instructions.

Once.

Twice.

Three times I tried, only to end up spitting out a jet of water, or just choking on it. I wanted to give up, but the thought of seeing Marta's excited face as I showed her my new move made me keep going.

I kept going until almost midnight, and by then Kratos had taken a seat on the sand, though his eyes were still trained on me. Colette, now awake and 'well', had come to see what was going on, but Kratos had sent her away, saying I needed to concentrate on my work. I was soooo tempted to spit on him and claim it was an accident…but I knew I wouldn't get away with it.

Finally, after using up nearly the entire second bottle, I retired to the campfire and buried myself under my cape, hunkering down for sleep. My lips were chapped and red, and they felt extremely…not fun. And with no lip balm in sight, I was in for a few hours or maybe even a day of resisting the urge to lick my lips. Goddammit…

I yawned quietly and laid my head on my pack, watching the sleeping forms of Lloyd and Genis from across the fire. They looked so peaceful at night, when they were flapping their lips. It was funny sometimes, albeit annoying other times, and I couldn't help but admire them for their ignorance. They were lucky to not know the future. I didn't plan on explaining my knowledge to them anytime during this journey, nor did I plan on explaining my origins until we passed Luin or maybe even the Renegade Base. I couldn't talk about Earth with Kratos around, seeing as he was a Cruxis spy and all, but I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up the charade the whole time. Martel must've known that as well.

I yawned again as I felt sleep take hold of me, and I watched the flames in front of my flicker and dance with the wind. It was such a beautiful sight, yet so deadly to the touch. _How could anything so beautiful hurt someone so much? _I wondered.

And then I finally drifted off.

* * *

Hellz yeah! Chapter 13 is done! I hope you enjoyed it! While writing this chapter, I've decided I'm going to rewrite chapter 1. I almost gagged when I went back to read it, and it really needs some fixing up.

More good news: I got a JTV account, and I've started a small blog about writing. I know I'm probably not going to get as many viewers as Chikuto (watching her blogs got me thinking about starting one) since my story's not very far along, but I ask that if you have any questions that you forget to ask in the reviews, contact me there or something. I'll also be talking about what was going on in my life while writing, and how that all influences my work. I'll post a link to my channel in my profile.

Now that I think about it, I haven't used any titles or tropes in a long time...I think I might just not use those anymore. They're a bit of a pain to keep track of...

One more thing...I sorted out the chapters I've already written, and I found out that at the rate I'm going, I'm only going to have around 60 chapters! Cheezits, Chikuto and whatsername427's are at 80, and they're still going strong! Either I need to slow down, or I need to start breaking up some chapters...eh, I'll think about it tomorrow...

Vote in the polls and Pleasant dreams, everyone!


	14. My, What a Blustery Day!

Hello, readers! How've you been? I'm sorry I haven't been updating all that often! It's just that college has been hecktic, and I've already had 3 exams in 3 weeks...I've had a lot of studying to do. I still do, in fact. I should be studying right now. But no! I shall give you the latest chapter of my story, and then I shall get to work on the next one!

Please be patient with me! I really do appreciate your kind words! :D

**Don't own, don't sue. Flame and you get deep fried. XD**

* * *

Chapter 14: My, What a Blustery Day!

With the Palmacosta Human Ranch destroyed and another seal released, there was no reason for us to stay in the southern region of Sylvarant anymore. Neil was looking after the city in place of Governor General Dorr, bless his lonely soul, and was going to do his best in keeping the peace. He's a good man, I'll give him that. To take on such responsibilities at such short notice…he was a really strong person. Of course, no one was as strong as our Lloydikins!

The trek to Hakonesia Peak was long and boring, but while we were there, we had one more quick read-over of the Book of Regeneration. There was nothing new there for me, since I knew where all the seals were already, but just looking at the book itself was pretty awesome. The writing looked like chicken scratch at certain parts, but in less worn parts it was like a combination of cursive English and Japanese Kanji. Long, flowing strokes followed by short, thin lines created the Angelic scripture, and within the writings were the keys to finding the last of the seals.

And as we settled down for camp each night, I would ask Raine for the book to look through. When I had the chance, I paged through the rough parchment, gawking at the beautiful art and glorious writing. Every few pages there was a picture of a previous Chosen, made up of careful brushstrokes. They were intricately detailed; the work of a true artist. The more I looked at it, the more it seemed to pull me in. Sure, it was the book that sent many Chosens before Colette to their deaths, but it felt like I was looking at something forbidden.

Four days passed in a blur, and we found ourselves passing through Hakonesia Peak without even visiting Koton, thank goodness. I hated that weirdo so much in the game that I didn't even want to find out what he was really like. He was like some kind of extreme kleptomaniac, with all that stuff in his yard.

I took out my notebook and pencil and began writing another entry.

_Today's May 1__st__ back there, and we just passed through Hakonesia Peak. Koton is still some kinda klepto, but we didn't stop too long. We just looked at his 'interesting' lawn ornaments and moved on._

_Anyway, Kratos is still trying to teach me how to breath fire, but I have to say I'm getting a little bored with just spitting water. I really wanna try using fire. I tried to ask him once if we could continue to the next step, but he just stayed silent. His way of telling me 'Hell no', I guess._

_Cut to now. We're a few miles away from Asgard, and truth be told, I'm really excited! I've got a feeling that today's gonna be a really good day!_

I snapped my notebook shut with a grin plastered on my face and stuffed it down into my bag. I could tell everyone was happy as well, because they were smiling right along with me. Even Kratos seemed a little less intimidating than usual, though he refrained from smiling. I figured Raine was just happy about seeing the Ruins of Asgard, and the others were just happy. And that made me feel happy.

The only downside to having crossed through Hakonesia Peak was the fact that the monsters were tougher now. I swear, the bears in the area attacked every five minutes, and the bats were even worse. Their attacks made me jumpy whenever a bush moved. _Hello, paranoia. Good to see you again._

Thank the goddess that Asgard was within a day's walk from Hakonesia Peak. It just came into sight when the last of the bears finally left us alone to walk. I heaved a heavy sigh of relief and relaxed.

"Man, I can't wait to sleep in an actual bed again," I mumbled, giving the approaching city a wistful look.

"It's gonna be great," Lloyd agreed. "And actual baths!"

I grinned at the thought of washing a week's worth of grime off my skin and out of my hair. My hair felt limp and curly without actual shampoo, but hopefully that would change once we got to Tethe'alla.

"Lloyd, did you finish your homework?" Raine asked.

I looked from Raine to Lloyd, only to notice that his expression was not as calm as it had been a second ago. He was a deer in the headlights. He suddenly 'lost' his hearing and began to avoid Raine's gaze on purpose. I stifled a laugh and kept a snarky comment to myself, remembering how much I hated homework.

"I take that as a no," Raine said with a disappointed sigh. "Have it done by tonight, or else."

Both Lloyd and Genis flinched at the words 'or else', and Lloyd immediately began digging through every pocket he could. I watched him flounder for a bit, then walked over to Raine.

"What was his homework?" I asked.

"Language and Grammar," she replied. "I simply gave him a list of words and definitions to match up."

"Oh, that's easy!" I said with a roll of my eyes. She gave me an odd look, and I felt the color drain from my face. Shoot, she was gonna start asking questions! How is an orphan supposed to know grammar without going to school! I should've thought about that!

"I see," Raine said quietly. "Would you like to try your hand at their homework as well?"

"N-no! It's ok! I'm-"

"I insist you try it at least once." She handed me a sheet of paper. "Return this to me by tonight, please."

Every fiber of my being screamed at me to tear the paper up on the spot, but I took the stupid thing and folded it until it fit into my pocket. I'd have a go at it for the hell of it, but I was going to try and fudge it. I refused to show off, despite the fact that English was my favorite subject, not to mention my best. It was my highest score on the ACTs.

But I would keep my knowledge to a minimum, or at least I needed to keep a lid on it. Nothing good would come of everyone's suspicions. I didn't want anything like that on my shoulders.

* * *

Asgard, the city of wind and ruin. The city of tornadoes and winds strong enough to topple a skyscraper. It was the one place where you could hang-glide with one thin blanket strapped to your back.

That's how I'd always thought of the place. But, of course, I was wrong. The city was actually quite relaxing, and the gusting wind I'd always imagined was merely a soft breeze. Compared to the wind we'd experienced on the way there, mostly in the mountain pass, Asgard's air current was blissfully calm. A welcome change, if you asked me. The wind played with my hair instead of blowing into my eyes.

I kept silent as we walked through the city, my eyes trained on the intricate patterns carved into the cliff walls and pillars littered around the path. I was having one of those moments where everything feels like a dream, and I couldn't keep myself from sighing several times. This place truly was wonderful…

"Ari, are you okay?" Genis asked. "You've been sighing for a while."

"Huh? Oh, I'm okay. It just…it feels like a dream to be traveling like this. I mean, it's been a month and a half since I met you guys, and…" I sighed. "Oh, I don't know what I'm thinking."

"I think you're sleep deprived and exhausted, like the rest of us," he suggested bluntly. I grinned.

"You know, you're probably right." I yawned, then said, "We should probably reserve an inn room before they all fill up."

"Yes, you're right," Raine said quickly. "I'll leave that to you and Colette. Genis, can you and Kratos get the restocking done?"

"Sure," Genis replied.

"Hey, what about me?" Lloyd asked.

Raine fixed him with an icy stare and said, "You, young man, will be finishing your homework in the inn room. I will watch you until you finish."

I stifled a laugh as Lloyd hung his head sadly. He really hated homework…but what teenager didn't?

Leaving Genis and Kratos with the shopping, the rest of us left for the inn. We headed to the one on the upper cliff first, seeing as it looked the nicest, but we quickly turned away. The amount of Gald they wanted was outrageous. My god, and people thought prices in the US were steep. One room was 400 Gald, which meant we'd have to pay 800 for separate rooms. I grimaced at the thought of having to share a room with Lloyd, whose snores were a partial cause of my lack of sleep. Geez, that guy could wake the dead on certain nights.

So we headed to the inn back by the city gate, where we were welcomed warmly. The innkeepers were a pair of older folks and their daughter, but it was quaint, and it reminded me of my aunt's cabin near Duluth, a lovely lakeside city in Minnesota. That place had been great. It was just a small log cabin, but it was so cozy that I'd found myself unwilling to leave several times. My aunt would stock up on fantasy books by Anne McCaffrey, and I would be constantly reading, curled up in her armchair with a mug of hot chocolate next to me. Those times were the best. My aunt had never cared about family feuds or taking sides. She just enjoyed living.

But she'd passed away a few weeks before I'd come to Sylvarant, and that had left me with only a few remaining relatives. Of course, all of them were a part of the tension, and it often seemed as if I was the only one still neutral. I didn't even know what they were fighting over. And they were going to leave it up to me and the rest of my generation to continue the fight? I had once voiced my thoughts on the subject to my mother, but she'd just gone into one of her drunk dazes and ended up throwing the TV remote at me.

"Ari, are you alright? Does your cheek hurt?"Lloyd asked.

I blinked out of my daze, realizing I'd touched the spot where the TV remote had struck me on the jaw. I immediately dropped my hand and shook my head.

"No, it doesn't. I'm okay," I answered quickly. "I'm just…in a daze, I suppose…"

"Are you hurt?"

"No, no…I'm not in any pain. But you will be if you don't finish your homework."

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, Lloyd went white as a sheet and began digging through his pockets again, searching for his elusive homework. I gave a small laugh, then sat down on the bed and began to read through my own homework.

_Match the words with their proper synonym._

_Premonition: (a) lessening, (b) forewarning,(c) enticement, (d) interpreter_

_Morose: (a) clammy, (b) appalling, (c) sullen, (d) lumpy_

_Allusion: (a) exactness, (b) hoax, (c) attribution, (d) indirect reference_

_Sanguinary = (a) obligatory, (b) bloodthirsty, (c) sun-centered, (d) ungainly_

I smirked and shook my head as I circled the correct response to each line: forewarning, sullen, indirect reference, bloodthirsty…the words went on and on for both sides of the page, and I felt extremely smart for knowing their correct synonyms. I'd probably gotten a few wrong, but that was okay. It didn't matter. After all, this was Lloyd's homework too.

"Agh!!!"

I flinched at the shout, then glanced at Lloyd who was sitting on the bed across from me. He was fussing with his hair again, which meant he either had a bug in it, or he was stuck with his homework.

"Need a helpful hint?" I whispered.

"Yes!" he replied in a hushed-but-stressed tone. "I don't get any of it!"

I got up off the bed and walked across the room, leaving my homework there. "You're doing grammar, right? It's easy."

"Not for me!"he mumbled, staring angrily at his worksheet.

"Well, let me show you a trick." I pointed my pencil at the first word. "Give me an educated guess as to what another word for 'impartial' is. Is it bald, old, unbiased, or stationary?"

"Uh…" He began spinning his pencil in his hands, and it was painfully clear he wasn't very good at grammar at all.

"I'll let you in on a trick," I said after a few minutes. "Think about the way you use the original word in a sentence. What meaning does it hold?"

"Um…you've lost me."

"Alright, let's try another one. "Haughtiness. What does that mean?"

"Oh, I heard that used before. It's…um…something like being rude, right?"

"Good. Now what word also means 'to be rude'?"

Lloyd scanned the possible answers, then pointed to 'arrogance'. I grinned and nodded.

"That's right. Just try that with the other ones, and I'll try and help with the ones you get stuck with."

"Okay. Thanks, Ari," he said with a smile. I blushed slightly, but nodded.

"No problem. Just don't tell Raine."

"Tell me what?"

I squeaked and jumped as Raine and Colette came in, catching me completely off guard. How had I not heard them?!

"I…uh, um…I-I finished the homework you gave me!" I blurted out, my face turning completely red from embarrassment. I heard Lloyd chuckle, and I sent him a glare so full of ice that he stopped in his tracks and got back to work.

"You did? That quickly?" Raine asked. I nodded, and she held out her hand. "Well, let's see it then."

I handed her the sheet of paper and picked at the dirt under my fingernails, feeling a little less embarrassed than I had a second ago. Since I'd done well on the worksheet, she wouldn't give me another to complete. I'd escaped it.

But…what if she became suspicious of my knowledge? Did a normal person know all those answers? Was I showing off too much? Was I being careless? Would she start asking questions?!

"Ari, you did very well," Raine said thoughtfully. "Are you sure you didn't go to school, or even have some kind of private tutor?"

"Uh…I, um…no. I only learned what my friend learned, and…excuse me. I need some air."

I lost my cool at that moment and quickly removed myself from the inn, bumping into Genis and Kratos as I power-walked. I didn't stop to say hi or ask if I could help carry supplies. I just sprinted, then walked to the nearest mural cave. I'd get a little alone time in there, at least. I needed a moment to cool off. I'd probably raised a few alarms, but so what? They were going to find out the truth anyway.

"Shit, shit, shit!!" I hissed at myself, smacking a hand to my forehead with each word. I had been stupid while doing that worksheet. I should've written down some wrong answers. After all, I'm an orphan, raised by a good friend in Luin. There was no way I could have a high level of education without some kind of tutoring, and I'd said in Palmacosta that I'd never gone to school.

If I ended up being exposed here, I was going to die.

Suddenly there was an explosion from outside that rocked the entire city to its core. The walls around me shed stones with the blast, and I immediately took off outside.

I had completely forgotten about Linar and his uncontrollable 'Breaker'. I had been too wrapped up in seeing Asgard for the first time that I'd forgotten that Raine was supposed to find him and that other guy and kick the snot out of them for trying to destroy an ancient monument. Then Lloyd was supposed to stop the bomb from going off. But it looked, and sounded, like it was too late for that. The ancient stone dais was a pile of rubble for sure.

I prepared myself for a disaster scene, but what awaited me at the top of the stone steps was not a pile of rocks, but a completely intact stone dais. I ran around to the other side of the monument, through a blanket of smoke and burning grass, to the smoldering remains of 'the Breaker' and blinked. The stone closest to the explosion hadn't even been scratched. I ran a hand over the side of the dais and smiled.

"Polycarbonate," I whispered. "Raine's going to have a field day…"

"What's going on?!" an old man cried from the direction of the steps.

I ran around the dais as quickly as I could, only to find half the city and my friends standing around with mouths agape.

"I think I found the explosion's source!" I called, pointing towards the remains of the bomb. "Nothing's damaged, though!"

The mayor of Asgard stepped forward and looked me straight in the eyes, the corners of his mouth turned down in a wrinkled frown.

"And how do you know nothing's damaged?!" he shouted. "If even a speck of stone is out of place, the Summon Spirit will kill us all!!"

I backed up to the dais and flinched as he continued yelling at me.

"You young ones have no sense of respect!! Who do you think you are?! Why would you even try to get close to the dais right before the day of sacrifice?!"

"How the hell am I supposed to know that when I only got here half an hour ago?!" I demanded, regaining control of my surprise and turning it into rage. I glared right into the old man's eyes and hissed, "Is this how you treat your town's visitors?! Don't you dare think someone like you can talk down to me like that! You think you're so high and mighty. Maybe I should talk down to you! See how you like it!"

"Ari!" Raine shouted. "Leave him alone!"

"Tch." I pushed past him, but still glared at his back as I whispered, "You're lucky she was here. Count your blessings."

"Ari, are you okay?" Genis asked.

I blinked at the question, then let out a strained sigh. "My god, why does everyone feel the need to ask me if I'm okay today? I'm perfectly sane, and I'm not lying on the ground with my throat cut, so I'm good. I just want some people to-"

"Ari, take a deep breath," Raine said calmly as she placed a hand on my shoulder. I swallowed my words and nodded, taking several breaths. My rage dissipated a little more with each one. I had anger issues, and coming to Sylvarant had dredged them up to the surface. Wasn't that just lovely…?

As the last of the city dwellers filed down the stone steps, Raine and Kratos went over to the mayor to talk about the dais and the Summon Spirit's demands for a sacrifice. The rest of us just took to the sidelines and amused ourselves with word games.

"Okay, let's start with…angel," Lloyd said, giving us the starting word for our fourth game. It was Genis 2, one for Colette, and one for myself.

"Lady," I said quickly. I turned to Genis and motioned for him to go.

"Yellow," he said.

"Wind," Colette said.

"Danger," Lloyd added.

"Revenge."

"Enrage."

"Elf."

"Fate."

We kept going for the longest time, and an hour had nearly passed when Raine came over to us and asked that I join her and Kratos with the mayor. I reluctantly obliged, since my mood had barely improved. The mayor was a jerk, after all.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

Raine motioned to the mayor, who was fidgeting in front of me. I repressed a grimace, unwilling to be near the guy.

"I…I apologize for snapping at you, miss," he said with a small degree of sincerity in his voice. "It's just…with the sacrifice tonight, the entire city has been a little on edge…including myself."

I sighed, but said, "I understand, and I accept your apology. I'm sorry I snapped at you as well."

With that, the mayor seemed to lose the droop to his shoulders, like a burden had been lifted from him.

"Thank you. I must ask, though, do you have any idea who set the bomb?"

I shook my head.

"Sorry, but no, I don't. I only found the remains."

"I see…"

"Why would a Summon Spirit be demanding a sacrifice anyway?" I asked. "I thought Aska was the only Summon Spirit who could leave his seal."

"There was an incident recently…," the mayor explained, "The Summon Spirit awoke because of it, and it demanded a sacrifice as a result. That is the ritual being held tonight. A girl chosen by the Summon Spirit will dance upon the dais and be offered as a sacrifice."

"How horrible…," I mumbled.

"Well, if you're done here, I must be getting back to preparations for tonight."

"Wait, mayor!" Raine said. "Would it be possible for me to study the dais close up? Just for a little bit?"

"I'm sorry, but you mustn't disturb the dais in any way," the mayor said curtly, already at the stairs.

"How about this?" Raine offered. "I'll take on the role of ritual dancer. That way I can get as close as possible to the dais, correct?"

The mayor looked utterly flabbergasted. His mouth, though hidden by a thick beard and mustache, was definitely curved into a deep frown. His forehead had so many wrinkles that I lost count after eight. It was amusing, but I knew that if I smiled, I'd be yelled at.

"If you must!" the mayor shouted as he hurried down the stairs. "But don't blame me if you die!!"

"Who's the current dancer?" Raine called after him.

"Her name is Aisha! Good _day_ to you!"

And with that, the mayor of Asgard blew us off and rushed to his house in the residential area of town. I made a face at his back, then whirled on Raine.

"What are you thinking?!" I asked. "Are you really serious about becoming the dancer?"

"Raine, is that true?!"

Both of us turned around to find Genis, Lloyd, and Colette staring us down with concerned looks. Well, I guess they were more 'scared' than 'concerned'.

"Yes. If this is a seal, then the girl the spirit is seeking might be Colette," Raine said. "But we can't risk Colette's life like that."

"This is the only way to see if this really is a seal," Kratos added.

"You just wanna get close to the dais, don't you, Professor?" Lloyd said with a shake of his head. He abruptly found himself with a large bruise the size of a hand on the back of his head.

"Don't try me, Lloyd Irving. You still haven't done your homework, have you?"

I looked from Raine to Lloyd, only to find that Lloyd was already racing down the stairs and towards the inn; a surefire sign that he still hadn't completed it.

"He's…quite the slacker, I must say," I said with a wry smirk.

Raine just shook her head and replied, "He was never one of my brighter pupils."

"So I've heard from Genis."

* * *

That afternoon was spent looking for and finally locating Aisha. Her house wasn't where it had been in the game. It was actually around the center of the area, the fourth house from the bottom of the cliff, as well as third from the top. The entire cliff area was covered in houses that seemed to sway with every gust of wind, despite what looked to be constant repairs to their support beams. If one house near the top of the cliff were to fall, almost a third of the rest would be caught in its path, just to meet a grizzly fate after a long fall into the canyon.

Of course, I didn't dare get close to the cliff's lowest ledge. I still had a fear of heights, which was kind of silly to have if I wanted wings. I'd always said, 'I just won't look down', but now that just seemed like a stupid thing to say. Truth is the height wasn't my real fear. It was the falling part I was terrified of. Falling down into a pit or chasm, with absolutely no control over how fast I was going…that's what truly terrified me. Still, that fear didn't keep me from daydreaming about getting wings. I'm just weird like that.

When we arrived at Aisha's house, we immediately heard someone yelling inside.

"What do you mean, my uncontrollable Breaker didn't work?! Linar, you said it would blow that rock to smithereens!!"

"I'm sorry, Harley, but the dais is made of something far stronger than I calculated!"

_Harley! That was the half-elf's name! I'd totally forgotten about him._

"I can't believe you'd make such a stupid mistake!" Harley shouted. "Your sister's life in on the line here! You can't afford to be so relaxed!!"

Raine took that exact moment to knock on the door and step back, her face the picture of calm. She didn't even flinch when Harley threw open the door and nearly broke it off its hinges.

"What do you want?!" he shouted. I took a second to blink in surprise. Harley was at least 5' 10", and had a tough-guy build. His shirt, which was actually just a purple vest with long sleeves, was wide open and displaying a set of rock hard abs. I mean, _holy cow_, you don't find those on Earth! His face was bony, with protruding cheekbones, and his eyes were a lovely shade of dark brown. If only they hadn't been full of rage…

"Yes, my name is Raine Sage. I've come to speak with Aisha about her role as the ritual dancer."

"Aisha's busy!"

"I must speak with her nonetheless."

"Harley, let them in!" a female voice called from inside. "This is my house! You have no business bossing around my visitors!"

Harley seemed to debate whether or not to let us in for several second, then stepped aside and held the door open. "Make it quick."

Raine nodded and we entered quickly, and were greeted by the girl who I assumed to be Aisha. Her silky dark blue hair fell just past her shoulders, framing her heart-shaped face perfectly. Her blue eyes were beautiful, but it was all too easy to see that they were full of sorrow.

Standing next to her was Linar, her brother. Aside from being slightly taller and male, he looked exactly the same. And his glasses made him look almost mousy, in a way. It was easy to see that Linar was intimidated by Harley, who towered over everyone but Raine and Kratos.

"I'm terribly sorry about the commotion today," Aisha said sadly.

"I assume the bomb was your doing?" Raine asked Harley.

"Yeah, though it would've work had it not been for Linar's stupid mistake!" Harley growled. Linar flinched and hid his eyes, and Aisha stepped in front of him in a defensive gesture.

"Harley, knock it off!"

Harley muttered something inaudible, but Aisha ignored it and turned to us. "Were any of you hurt in the explosion?"

"We're in one piece, so we're good," I said with a shrug.

"Who cares?!" Harley shouted. "_The ruins_ are still in one piece, too!"

"Harley, I'm warning you!" Aisha threatened. "It's the people of this city that would suffer if the ruins were lost."

"I didn't want you to be sacrificed!" he bellowed, his anguish painfully clear. "It's all because of that stupid ritual!!"

"It's supposed to be in honor of Sylph, the Summon Spirit of Wind, right?" Lloyd asked.

"Yes," Linar replied. "Originally, those chosen for it were just supposed to dance, but…"

"But this idiot started messing around with the dais and opened the seal," Harley interrupted. "Because of that, the Summon Spirit thing woke up and started demanding sacrifices."

"The Seal?" Raine asked. "Do you mean…"

"Yes," Linar said. "If you too are researching the Balacruf Ruins, then you must be aware of the altar erected in praise of the Summon Spirit of Wind." A small smiled flitted across his face and disappeared. "The Seal really existed…just as the legend said!"

"Are you saying the Balacruf Pillar hieroglyphics are not just a myth?!" Raine cried. Everyone else in our group just sighed.

"Then this probably isn't the seal we're looking for…," Lloyd said.

"Raine, you do remember why we're on this journey in the first place, right?" Genis asked.

"It's alright, I guess," Kratos said with indifference. "It's not as if it's completely out of our way…"

"Yes!" Linar said enthusiastically. "In the back of the platform, there's a small indentation, and-"

"Shut up!!" Harley shouted. "Aisha's going to be sacrificed in a few hours!! All of you, get out!!"

"Harley!!" Aisha shrieked. The half-elf froze on the spot, clearly surprised by her outburst. "Harley, this is my house. I will decide who stays and who goes. Do you understand?"

"But, Aisha-!"

"These people said they had to talk to me about the ritual, and I will speak to them." She turned to Raine and said, "Please come with me. We can talk upstairs."

She, Raine, and Colette headed upstairs, and the rest of us took to lounging around the living room. I immediately went to the bookshelves and began looking for something I could try to find in a store. I desperately wanted to read more books from this world.

"Do you like books?"

I turned to find Linar standing behind me, scratching the side of his head in embarrassment. "I mean, it's okay if you don't, but you just look like…"

"No, I do like books. In fact, I love them." I gave him a smile and ran my fingers along the spines of each book. "They're keys to another world created by the author. Sometimes they're windows into the past. It all depends on what kind of book fate allows you to find."

"That's…almost poetic," he said thoughtfully. I immediately blushed.

"Well, I haven't told anyone this, but I love reading stories. I used to think romance novels were great, but then I started reading tragedies."

"Why tragedies?"

"I guess…because some tragedies bring people together."

"I see. A strange viewpoint, but a valid one nonetheless."

I turned and faced Linar. "What kind of stuff do you read? Or are all these books yours?"

Linar gave a small laugh, then said, "I share all the books in the house with my sister, but we have opposite tastes. I prefer to read books about ancient history and fallen dynasties. My sister…"

"She's more into fiction?"

"Exactly," he said. "Fiction…it's like reading about what can never _be_."

"True, but sometimes it's showing you what _could be_. It all depends on how you interpret it. It could be a warning against future mistakes, or even what one wishes for the future. Not to mention your mind can go stale if you don't imagine things now and again."

"That is also true," he replied with a smile.

I smiled and went back to running my fingers over the numerous spines, reading each title in my head as I touched them. "_The History of the Balacruf Dynasty". "Ruins: Lost and Found". "Whispers of the Windy Ruins." _They looked like textbooks. They gave me chills just to be around them. Textbooks were reminders of school, and reminders of school were extremely unwelcome.

"Got any loose paper?" I asked casually, casting a glance back at Linar. The young man nodded and began searching the desk next to the bookshelves, mumbling about having too many loose notes. It was true, though. Mountains of papers littered the desk, the bookshelves, and even the stairs. In a way, it reminded me of my old room, and how my clothes and books were always covering the entire floor.

When Linar finally handed over a few spare papers, I sat down on the couch and began folding and ripping them into smaller squares. It didn't take long to do that, and when Lloyd and Genis joined in, folding the cranes took even less time. Linar watched with rapt attention, and even Harley seemed interested. In the end, I gave one to each of them, then left one for Aisha on the table. It was funny how something so small could bring people together, even if it was only for a small amount of time.

Soon Raine, Colette, and Aisha returned to the house's lower level and put a stop to our origami craze. Raine was no longer wearing her usual orange coat and white undershirt. No, she was dressed in the whole Shrine Maiden getup. She looked exactly like she did in the game.

"I suppose it's time for the ritual?" she asked Aisha. The younger woman nodded, her blue hair falling in front of her face.

"Yes. We should go."

Aisha quickly walked to the door and held it open for Raine, who smiled appreciatively. Both women seemed perfectly calm about the whole ritual. I, on the other hand, was far from calm. I was nervous, even though I knew what would happen. We would win, get the Balacruf Tablet-thing, and head to the Mausoleum tomorrow. Everything would be fine.

"Ari, you don't have to worry," Lloyd said supportively as he clapped me on the back. "The Professor's really strong. We'll have this thing defeated in no time."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. At least one of us was confident. Or maybe he was just being cocky…

"I hope so, Lloyd," I mumbled as everyone filed out of the house. "I hope you're right…"

* * *

_Wooooooo! Chapter 14 is done! On to 15! And only the next chapter stands between you, dear readers, and the Luin Segment! Hooray for meeting the mysterious friend, Danica! That is, if she isn't 'dead'. XD _

_Oh god, I should probably just go to bed. G'night all! Pleasant dreams!_


	15. Violation, Limitation

Hello, dear readers! Guess who finally updated! Yaaaaaaay!

Okay, first thing's first. I'm sure you've noticed I haven't updated _ANYTHING_ in almost...two months? Well, college has my hands tied, and it's getting harder and harder to find the time to write at all. I'm working on several original pieces right now, so that's basically where about 40% of my time is going.

Wanna know where the other 60% is going? I got a boyfriend! (happy dance for 10 minutes) He's such a sweetie, too! Tomorrow (Nov. 4th) is our 1 month anniversary, and I'm taking him out to lunch for Fish and Chips! I'm so friggin' happy I can't even think straight!

Wow, I really went off on a tangent there. Anyway, I won't be able to update quite as often as I used to, but I will update as often as I can. I haven't lost interest in the story, but I don't know if it'll be the same, really...I'm changing, and I'm not sure if it'll be visible in the story or not.

Anywho, enjoy the latest chapter! It's only one battle, but that's all I could manage for now. Sorry!

**Don't own, don't sue. Flame and you die.**

* * *

Chapter 15: Violation, Limitation

"_Ari, you don't have to worry," Lloyd said supportively as he clapped me on the back. "The Professor's really strong. We'll have this thing defeated in no time."_

_I sighed and rolled my eyes. At least one of us was confident. Or maybe he was just being cocky…_

"_I hope so, Lloyd," I mumbled as everyone filed out of the house. "I hope you're right…"_

_

* * *

_

Leaving Linar's house, I'd taken Lloyd's words to heart and steeled my nerves. He was right. There was no reason to treat this monster any differently than the ones we'd encountered on the road.

Of course, some of those monsters hadn't been flying and most hadn't had a razor sharp axe for legs. The more I envisioned the real thing from the remnants of my memories, the more nervous I became. Giant axe tail, bat-like wings, pasty green and purple skin…the thought of it made me cringe.

_Stay strong, Ari_, I told myself. _It'll be like battling the mermaids again. Only this time, electricity won't work. Let's see…wind is weak against…_ I thought about the summon sprits for a few seconds, then clenched my fist in determination. _Sylph is equal to…Gnome? Is that right? Yeah, that's right. I'm not totally losing my mind._

"Ari, you're shaking. Are you okay?" Colette asked. I sucked in a breath slowly while clenching and unclenching my fists at my sides.

"I just want to go back to the inn and get some rest, but we have to get rid of that Sylph imposter."

The was a moment of silence before Colette responded.

"…imposter?" she echoed. "How do you know it's a fake?"

I opened my mouth to reply when I realized I didn't have a reply waiting. Shhhhhhhooooooot. Cue the most random lie I could come up with.

"I uh…well, what kind of Summon Spirit asks for a sacrifice? Efreet and Undine never did. They minded their own business. And…um…well, I though the Seals could only be released by the Chosen. I'm sure plenty of other researchers have tried to get their hands on the Seals. Why would this one be so easy to get to, as well as easy to break?"

"Oh, I see!" she replied enthusiastically. "It's amazing how you saw that!"

"You know, you've got a point," Raine said from a few feet ahead of us. "There's no real proof behind it, but your idea is a valid one. We'll look into it once this is all over."

"Okay," I mumbled. I didn't really want to delve any further into the subject, and I was hoping Raine would get so distracted by the Balucruf Tablet that I'd be let off the hook. _Oh please, Goddess Martel, please let me get through this unscathed!_

We reached the stone stairs that lead to the dais, and both Lloyd and Genis let out a huge groan. I sent them a smile and shrugged.

"What are you, tired? Come on, you two. You can do this easily."

"We know," Lloyd mumbled, "but we still don't like it."

"When do we get to sleep…?" Genis whispered to Lloyd.

The brunette just shrugged and glared at the stairs. "When we finish the battle, I guess. It shouldn't take too long…"

"It's over when it's over," Kratos said simply as he began taking the steps two at a time. He barely put any effort into it, making Lloyd turn a little red. I guess it was all a matter of manly pride. In other words, whatever; they'll sort it out without my bugging them.

The area around the dais was completely deserted, other than the mayor and a few sparse citizens. I grimaced when I began imagining them getting hurt by the Windmaster, but I kept it to myself. No use in getting everyone nauseous before a big battle.

And yet…I felt something off about the whole thing. Something was wrong. I'd forgotten something really important, but I couldn't remember what. Had I left something in the inn? Maybe forgotten to equip some new armor? No, no…that wasn't right. It was something else. I'd done…something wrong. Yes, the events concerning the role of dancer had happened a bit out of order, but it'd sped things up. At this rate, we'd be out of Asgard by tomorrow.

"I think you're the one that's tired," Lloyd whispered, poking me in the shoulder as he came up behind me. "You've got dark rings under your eyes."

"Huh?!" I rubbed at my eyes, even though it wouldn't help at all, and coughed. "Don't worry. I'm just…feeling weird."

"Do you have gas?"

My hands dropped as I stared at him with the most incredulous look on my face.

"NO I DON'T!" I shrieked, the blood in my face rising. "Lloyd, you NEVER ask a girl a question like that! Never!"

"Okay! Okay! I was just wondering!" he said, holding up his hands defensively. "It was just a question!"

"A lousy question," I mumbled, "but you got me out of my funk. Now let's kill this piece o' trash."

He let out a small laugh as we gathered next to the dais, watching Raine get in position. She really was pretty in that outfit, but I liked her better in her usual vibrant orange colors. She looked a little too refined as a priestess, and I also couldn't imagine her giving out her classic 'punishments' in that outfit. And the hat just threw everything off. It was okay for the outfit, but I couldn't see anyone really looking 'good' in it. Just…no.

Raine slowly walked out the dais, stabbing the polycarbonate with the butt of her staff while flinching with every loud click. She looked absolutely mortified, and it was obvious why. She was obviously resisting the urge to get down on her knees and examine the stone. All while walking all over the ancient relic with shoes on. She was probably crying on the inside.

But despite that, she finished the dance and kneeled again in the middle of the platform, placing the staff in front of her. As soon as it touched the stone, the rod snapped upright, sticking straight up in the air. No one was touching it. Suddenly, a sharp ringing filled my ears. I discreetly pressed my hands to them, but the shrill noise wouldn't stop. It hurt until I thought my eardrums would burst.

'_You did wrong,'_ a toneless voice boomed overhead.

I froze, my hands still clamped onto my head. Had that…had that been the Windmaster speaking? I couldn't tell if it had been male or female…

"Hey, Colette?"

"Yes, Ari?" she replied in a whisper. "Is something wrong? You're completely pale."

"Did you hear anything just now? Like a voice?"

"I didn't hear anything but the wind."

"Oh, that's probably what it was then," I said with a wary smile. "I'm probably just a little tired."

She smiled and turned back towards the dais, but I rubbed a hand against my cheek and looked at the ground. I was losing it! I've started to hear voices! I had to be going insane!

'_You violated the limit,'_ the voice bellowed again as the wind picked up. I gave a small squeak, but no one seemed to notice. I glanced around frantically, but found no one other than the people I knew.

'_Now,'_ the voice continued, _'you will pay for your actions.'_

Thunder began rumbling out of nowhere, and the blue sky was quickly covered by huge dark clouds. The air itself became alive with electricity, sending fierce chills down my spine.

"What the hell did I do?" I asked in a whisper, my voice masked by the howling wind. "What 'limit' are you talking about?"

'_You spoke,' _was all the reply I got before lightning struck the dais. Light exploded everywhere, temporarily blinding us. Genis cried out to Raine, but his voice was lost to the sudden increase in wind. But the surprise didn't stop there.

Floating above the dais was the Windmaster, in all its gruesome glory. Its ribs were practically skinless, allowing us to see right through it. Its face was bony and elongated, like a monkey's, but a little larger and longer. Its fingers were bony and long, with claws that tapered into sharp points, like miniature daggers sewn into its skin. I felt a huge chill run up my spine as it looked around the area. It stopped looking as its eyes fell upon Aisha, who was being rushed away by Linar and Harley.

"Ritual maiden," it called out, pointing to her with an elongated finger, "your life is now mine to take."

Aisha screamed and made a run for it, but a huge gust of wind toppled several of the pillars that stood along the stone steps, sealing us on the hill. Harley pulled a pickaxe off his back and took up a protective stance in front of Aisha, his eyes blazing with determination.

"You won't get her, you monster!" he shouted.

The Windmaster let out a sort of garbled laugh, then began slowly approaching the half elf. That, of course, gave us the perfect chance to help Raine. Genis wouldn't stop screaming his sister's name as he scrambled towards the dais. I ran towards it as well and flung myself up onto it, uncaring as to how ungainly I must've looked. Raine was hurt. She was just…lying there. She hadn't been struck herself, though. The staff in front of her, on the other hand, was a pile of charred ashes slowly being blown away by the wind. But I could still see she'd been hurt by the sudden blast.

"Let me see her," I said quickly, removing my gloves. I placed them next to Genis, who wouldn't let go of Raine's hand, and quickly pressed my fingers to her throat. Her pulse was weak, but there. I cracked my knuckles and turned to Kratos.

"Will you be able to take down that monster while I heal Raine? I mean you…you're…," I bit my lip, unable to say the words I needed to say. My pride was trying to keep me from it, but Raine was in trouble because of me and my 'saying something', and I needed to help her. So I swallowed my ego and finshed, "I mean, you're stronger and faster than me…and I owe Raine."

Kratos made eye contact with me, and I held his gaze almost too easily. He seemed to understand my reasoning, because he silently agreed to my request and unsheathed his sword, running silently towards the monster's back.

"Lloyd, Colette, I need you two to help Kratos," I added quickly. "He can't do it by himself."

"But Raine-!" Lloyd began, but I cut him off with a wave of my hand.

"Lloyd, please. You won't do Raine any good by hanging over her. Help Aisha for me. I'll take care of Raine."

Both teens hesitated, but finally headed for the Windmaster. I turned back to Raine, only to be greeted by an angry Genis.

"Why didn't you ask me to go with them?" he demanded in a tantrum-like manner. "I can fight, too!"

"Would you really be able to concentrate on battle when your sister is fighting for her life?" I asked. He immediately shut up and gripped Raine's hand even tighter.

Gathering as much healing mana as possible, I slowly flooded Raine's body with warm light. Her bones were intact, but her nervous system was off, and her muscles were making small, unnoticeable twitches. I quickly healed that over and got to work on her heart. It was beating unstably, but was slowly calming down with each moment of healing. It would take a while, and a ton of mana, but I knew I'd be able to bring her back from unconsciousness.

"Genis, can you give me an orange gel?"

"Sure thing," he replied quickly, reaching into his pocket. He ripped open the small container and held it out to me. I shook my head and opened my mouth, and he dumped the strange tasting liquid in it. Ugh…it tasted like warm orange juice. Like the stuff that you leave outside on a hot summer day. It made me cringe, but I kept healing.

All throughout the healing process, I'd glance over at the battle to see how everyone was doing. Aisha and Linar had disappeared into the city, but Harley remained with his pickaxe. He constantly used it to stab and rip off the Windmaster's greenish flesh. It tore off in chunks, leaving the dais blood-spattered and messy. Lloyd and Colette were doing fairly well, but the whirling axe tale would constantly knock them out of combos and techs when they got too close. Kratos was hanging back and acting as healer, thank goodness, and he was doing a great job of it. I didn't see anyone falter even once. Of course, Harley proved to be difficult, seeing as he didn't have an Exsphere and healing arts didn't help those who lacked the small orbs. He'd definitely be sore in the morning.

"Raine!!" Genis cried, drawing my attention back to where it should've been. Raine was beginning to stir, and her breathing was normal again. I heaved a sigh of relief and took a short break, my own heart thundering in my head. I was exhausted, and my hands were buzzing as if I'd just pushed a grocery cart over seven miles of unpaved, gravely road. It was an uncomfortable numbness that wouldn't go away.

"Ari, you look pale," Genis said quietly. "Maybe you should rest a bit longer."

I shook my head, trying to clear away the fatigue in my eyes, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Genis. I'm just…," - I yawned – "a little tired. I'll be okay. Can I have another orange gel?"

He held one out to me, but stopped as his eyes fell on something behind me. His face contorted into one of fear, and his eyes widened until I thought they'd pop out of his head. It was the kind of look one reserved for 'Imminent Doom', which made it very hard for me to turn around.

But I did, and came face to face with the Windmaster. Its axe-tail was gone, leaving only a bloody and shredded stump behind. One of its eyes had been slashed by a sword, and its chest was pocked with holes and gashes that dripped disgusting black blood. I suddenly felt dizzy, and would've fainted had Genis not been crushing my hand in his.

"If I cannot have the one I wanted, I'll take you two instead!"

The grotesque creature shot out its bloody arms towards Raine and me, seizing our clothes in fistfuls. Its claws ripped into my skin, carving long red marks into my neck and drawing blood. I kicked at its other hand, trying to keep it from getting a good grip on Raine too. She was defenseless in her condition, and I knew Genis couldn't protect her by himself.

_I have to take action. Be strong, Ariella._

"Guys!" I shouted as loud as I could. I needed to get their attention. "Get Raine away from here! Get her to safety!"

"But Ari-" Lloyd began, but I quickly cut him off as my heel finally came in contact with the Windmaster's remaining eye. The creature screamed and threw me hard at the ground, its sight lost for good. My hands flew to my head as the training sessions with Kratos began to kick in. I landed sharply on my right hip, sending shocks through my bones, and rolled into an upright kneeling position. But my breath was ragged, and I knew I didn't have much energy left.

By that time, Lloyd and Kratos had successfully hauled the still-unconscious Raine off the dais, but that left Genis and Colette behind. They watched fearfully from the dais' edge, completely paralyzed with fear but wanting to help. I motioned for them to move away, but that just seemed to make them stubborn. They ran to my side and readied their weapons.

"We won't leave you behind, Ari," Genis said firmly as he began bouncing the ball of his kendama. "You're our friend, and we defend our friends."

"Genis is right," Colette said with a smile. "You can't fight this thing by yourself. You're still exhausted from healing Raine."

I hid a cough and watched the Windmaster thrash about the dais, ripping at an invisible enemy. It was searching for us, and we couldn't hide for long. We needed to finish it off now.

"Alright," I finally said. "We can fight together."

Colette and Genis nodded, and together we advanced upon the nearly dead Windmaster. Colette cast Angel Feathers and cut the membrane of its wings, and Genis easily hit it with several fireball spells. The fight was in the bag. The creature was on the ground and wheezing unstably, obviously taking its last breaths. It was an easy kill now.

"Let me finish it," Genis said before I could take a step forward. "This thing is the reason why Raine is hurt. Let me get rid of it."

I opened my mouth to object, but thought better of it. If the kid wanted to take revenge for his sister, then I had no reason to stand in his way. I knew I'd feel the same way if someone hurt my mother. Despite her flaws, good and bad, she was my mother, and I loved her dearly. Even though she'd called me horrible names, and sometimes even thrown things at me, she was the only one in the world who still cared for me out of love and not because they had to. My family was a mess, and I hated making that worse for her.

I touched the claw marks on my neck and winced. My fingers came away dark red, and also covered in bits of black thread. I frowned, running my fingers over my neck again, but this time they came away with a long piece of black cloth soaked in red liquid. I looked down at myself, finally noticing that the blood - my blood - had spilled down my chest and stained my shirt, vest, pants, and even my stockings. The top of my shirt was in tatters; the neckline had been slashed to bits, and the right sleeve was hanging by a thread and stained with a lot of blood, both black and now dried brown. My vest was a wreck, the straps on my shoulders torn apart but held together by only a few sparse threads.

Suddenly the world began to twist and spin in a very nauseating way, and I found myself blacking out just as my vision was filled with bright blue sky peeking out from between the dissipating storm clouds.

* * *

I woke up only a few hours later, in one of the beds in the inn. I twitched a hand to push the covers off me, but froze when my hands lit up with pain. Looks like healing Raine had taken more out of me than I'd originally guessed. The only sore spots on my lower body was the heel of my right foot, the foot that had blinded the Windmaster for good, as well as the hip I'd landed on when the creature had thrown me at the ground.

Of course, my upper body was another matter. My shoulders and arms were numb, but I could still feel them burning. My neck was so stiff that when I turned to look out the window to my right, it cracked several times in a row. I let out a small cough and closed my eyes. I wanted to get up, but I knew I'd never be able to stand. At least, not tonight.

"You're awake," a soft voice called from nearby.

I blinked and turned my head the other way, noticing Raine laying in the bed right next to mine. Her head was bandaged and pale, but at least she was alive.

"How're you doing, Raine?" I whispered. She gave me a smile and shook her head.

"You brought me back to life after I'd been struck by lightning. I'll be extremely sore for a while…but I'm alive, thanks to you."

_But you were hurt because of me_, I thought to myself as I yawned and returned her smile with a sleepy one of my own.

"I felt like I owed you for something, though I can't remember what…funny, huh?"

"You don't owe me anything, Ari." She yawned softly and closed her eyes. "Let's get some rest. We'll need to recover as quickly as possible if we're to continue the Journey of Regeneration."

I smiled as she turned over, but dropped it when I knew she was asleep. We were delaying the journey, yes, but that didn't seem like such a bad thing right now. The way things had been going lately, we had almost three days of extra time on our hands. We could afford to relax a little. After all, those who rush rarely make it in the end.

I yawned into the blankets at my chin and nestled in deeper, enjoying the comfort of soft sheets and thick cotton blankets as I drifted off into sweet sleep. Everything…was going to be fine. Raine would recover quickly, and I would regain the use of my arms.

* * *

Gah, this is probably the shortest chapter ever. I wanted to write more, but I figured this would be enough for now. I'll try and finish up the next chapter, which will probably be just a relaxation chapter. After all, both Raine and Ari have been hurt, and they need time to get better.

La-di-dah, I'm done talking now. Have a wonderful November, everyone!


	16. Splendor Sine Occasu

Hey everybody! I'm back and ready to write! Thanks for being so patient with me these past few months!

If you didn't see my announcement on my profile, here's the gist. My main computer died a horrible death, all my writing was lost to the digital void, my creative drive took a nosedive, and college decided to be...college. *shudder* But! I am totally and completely recharged and ready to work my way through this story! For now, I'm only able to write a little at a time, so this chapter is kind of a filler.

By the way, this chapter's title is in Latin. It roughly translates to "Joy without End".

**Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue. Critique would be great!**

* * *

**Chapter 16: Splendor Sine Occasu**

Blackout dreams are always a strange thing to experience. Some pertain to future events, like an upcoming job interview or the first performance of a play at your school. Others concern past experiences like get-togethers with friends and special dates. They can be good or bad, happy or sad, and can be a single scene, or several lumped together.

For me, it was several lumped together. I kept having flashbacks to times in junior high when I had decent friends; the friends who'd moved away soon after finishing 8th grade. I missed those friends. We were always quiet, and we would sit together in the back of the classrooms like a flock of birds. We'd react the same way when the teacher called on us, and we rarely left each other's sides.

And yet, just when I was happy, these scenes would shift, forcing me to look ahead toward the memories of my sophomore year in high school. I was alone for a long time. I would never sit with a group at lunch, or seek out partners in class. I'd leave it to others to talk to me. Sometimes I wanted to talk to them, but my shyness would always get in the way. Other times I just didn't care who talked to me. It wasn't like they really saw me. They only saw the timid outer shell, and not the person I was inside. They were shallow, and I despised them for it.

'_They're all horrible people, aren't they?'_ a small voice called out from the darkness behind me. '_They should all be punished…right?'_

I opened my mouth to speak, but found I had no words. My mind was blank, my voice gone. I felt numb to everything, and everything was numb to me. The same feelings I'd felt during junior high and early high school welled up in my heart, and the light surrounding me seemed to fade with my mood.

'_Say it, Ariella,'_ the voice called again, this time a little closer. '_You can say it. Don't be afraid to say what you feel. What is it you desire, more than anything? I can see your heart…would you like me to say it for you? All I need is…control…'_

A wave of chills rippled up my spine, and I instantly jolted out of my dream, covered in a layer of sweat. I opened my eyes, but quickly shut them to bright sunlight seeping through the inn window. The chills disappeared, and I let out a sigh of relief that I hadn't realized I'd been holding in.

For some reason, waking up in an inn in Asgard wasn't all that strange. I vaguely remembered a conversation I'd had with Raine the night before, but nothing solid. Everything was just a blur. Of course, I was in no hurry to jump out of bed and run to my friends. The mattress was so soft, the pillows felt like clouds, and the sheets could've been silk for all I knew. It was absolute bliss compared to the numerous nights of sleeping on hard ground and wet grass. It felt a little odd, but definitely relieving.

I waited a few minutes before testing my limbs, which were functional now, and sitting up in bed. Raine and Colette were asleep in the beds on the other side of the room, or at least Raine was. Colette was definitely at the point where she needed to pretend to sleep.

I shifted my gaze to the window as I heard shouts and the harsh sound of metal on metal from below. Someone was practicing sword fighting around the back of the inn, between the cliff wall and the small garden terrace. I yawned and had almost fallen back asleep when I heard Lloyd's voice calling out one of his latest techs. Careful not to step on any squeaky boards, I shuffled over to it and peered down into the area just behind the hotel. Kratos and Lloyd were at it again, exchanging blows and taunts, which were mostly from Lloyd, as they trained together. It was funny to watch, because it was so obvious Kratos was holding back and that Lloyd wasn't. Genis was down there too, playing referee or something, I guess. He was partially hidden by a tree.

Turning back to my bed, I caught sight of my vest and black shirt, which had been peeled off me and cleaned until almost all of the bloodstains were out. It sucked, because it was a little obvious that I wouldn't be able to wear them again. What sucked the most was the fact that my neck, though bandaged and covered with salve, still ached fiercely with every twitching muscle. It looks like Raine hadn't had a chance to heal me yet. I didn't mind, though. As long as she was alive and conscious, I didn't care if the wounds left scars.

Digging my needle and thread out of my bag, I set to work on mending my clothes. Unfortunately, ten minutes after starting, I realized that this attempt was truly far from possible to complete. Half of one vest strap was missing and my black shirt had been ripped nearly in half, right down the middle. Thank god the claws had missed my necklace. If they hadn't, I would've lost the small pewter tree right then. But I still had it. The claws had missed the cord by less than half an inch.

Sighing, I tossed the shredded black cloth at the foot of my bed and ran my fingers through my thick, snarled hair. It felt like I hadn't bathed in weeks, and the battle last night hadn't helped a bit. I could feel dried blood in my hair and all over my skin. It wasn't pleasant. I needed a bath, or some kind of shower. Fast.

I slipped as quietly as possible to the doorway and poked my head out into the hallway. There was a maid walking towards the stairwell, her arms full of folded sheets and pillowcases. I quietly waved her down.

"Excuse me, but does this place have some kind of place to bathe?"

"There's a small washroom connected to each room. You can bathe in there." The maid hurried off before I could ask another question, but I'd need decent clothes to even leave the room. I didn't want to wander around town in my armor guard and underwear.

I yawned quietly and shuffled over towards the washroom door. What I wanted more than anything at that moment was a vat of hot water and a decent kind of shampoo or conditioner. I always used the Herbal Essences stuff on Earth, and it made me smell like coco mango and roses. I liked the wonderful scents, and I was a master at mixing the shampoos with different conditioners. The combinations I came up with were great.

What I found in the washroom was a clay bathtub about the size of a small hot tub. Towels were stacked in several small piles next to the door, along with a basket of washcloths and what looked to be some kind of conditioner. I guess I'd have to use soap to clean my hair instead of shampoo.

Careful not to reopen any wounds, I shed my gear and stepped into the shallow water. Goosebumps rippled up my arms and legs. The water was about as warm as a freezer! It must've been sitting there for at least a day or two for it to get that cold. But I kept my complaints to myself and scrubbed myself down with one of the rough washcloths. The soap smelled lightly of something close to sunflowers, but the disgusting smell of dried blood and dirt canceled that right out. I just smelled like me again, minus the coco mango scented hair.

When I was finished, I swiped a large towel off the floor and gently patted myself dry. I attempted to use a little healing mana on it, but didn't continue. If I tried again, I would've passed out on the floor. It just took too much out of me at the time, so I just let it go. Maybe I could ask Kratos to patch me up a little, since Raine was still out for the count.

I opened the door quietly and stepped back into the main room, watching Colette and Raine with an intense gaze. But it didn't really matter. Colette sat up in her bed and smiled as I approached my own.

"Good morning, Ari," she said with a beaming smile.

I smiled and mumbled, "G'morning" then gripped the large towel tighter around my chest and shuffled quickly towards my bag. I dug a relatively clean black top out of it, but grimaced when I realized I didn't have any other pairs of shorts, or even another vest. Bloodstains were a bitch to get out, and I'd never managed to salvage any of the shredded, bloody clothing. Crap.

"Colette, do you have any clothes I can borrow for today? I need to buy some new stuff, seeing as I just killed my current outfit."

Colette climbed out of her bed and dug through her bag, pulling out the black dress she usually wears under her normal white one. It had long sleeves, and it fell to just below my knees. The hem was embroidered with a small flower in white thread. It was very cute, but I found myself hesitating. I hadn't worn a dress in years. I didn't like showing my legs, but for some reason I took the dress and pulled it on over my head. The sleeves were a little annoying, but I managed to get my arms through them. The fabric was light and flowing, the kind that shifted easily when the wind blew around it.

I looked at myself in the vanity mirror and sighed; I looked kinda nice. The dress had faded from use, but that gave it a soft quality that I liked. I spun once, then pulled on my black stockings and shoes. They didn't match the dress all that much, but I was just going out to get some new gear. I wouldn't spend the rest of the adventure wandering around in a dress. I wouldn't be able to use any hand-to-hand moves if I did that.

"You look really nice, Ari," Colette chirped quietly, glancing at Raine to make sure she hadn't woken the woman. I kept silent as well, fearing we'd get an earful for being too loud. But Raine remained asleep, and we both let out a sigh of relief.

"Alright, I'm going to head downstairs to start making breakfast," I whispered as I tiptoed to the door.

"Isn't it Lloyd's turn to cook breakfast?"

"Would you rather have a slab of half cooked bacon and a side of butchered eggs, or…" I trailed off, not knowing another name for French toast. Cinnamon toast, maybe? Or maybe Toasted Cinnamon Bread…?

"Or?" Colette prodded.

"Do you know if anyone hates cinnamon?"

"Umm…I don't think so. Why do you ask?"

"Hmmm…okay, I'm off to buy a few ingredients. I've got some spare cash, and I'm in the mood to make some seriously good food."

"Want me to come with?"

"If you want to. I'm gonna go run and let the guys know where we're going."

Taking care not to wake Raine, Colette and I snuck out of the room and headed downstairs to meet the guys. For some reason, both of us were grinning and giggling like a couple of kids just out of school. We didn't have a care in the world, which was surprising for Colette. I always figured she'd have the Journey of Regeneration on her mind, but this little excursion was a welcome reprieve from her duties. To her, this must've been one of the last times she could act like a normal girl.

We were outside and heading around the back of the inn when Genis came running towards us, clutching his book against his chest with a frightened look on his face.

"Genis, what's wrong?" Colette asked.

"Lloyd's set off Kratos again with his whining. You really don't want to be around them right now," he whispered in our ears, clearly shaken. I groaned and made a face, but continued walking towards the two swordsmen in the back who were clearly angry at each other.

"There's no need to get so angry, Kratos!" I heard Lloyd shout. "It's a simple question!"

"It's something you should already know, if you claim to be a swordsman," Kratos frankly stated.

I rounded the corner just in time to see Lloyd and Kratos swing at each other. Both of them were clearly angry to a point where I wanted to just turn and walk away. But, of course, Kratos noticed me and sheathed his sword, completely disregarding Lloyd from that moment on.

"Ari, you seem better. Are you feeling alright?"

"Um…yeah, I'm fine. Not used to being in a dress, but hey, it's the only thing I could find that wasn't ripped or covered in permanent bloodstains."

I turned to see Lloyd staring, and I felt my face immediately flush. "What? Stop staring! It's rude!"

"S-sorry! I'm just…surprised. If your hair was longer and blonde, you could almost pass for Colette."

"Actually, Lloyd has a point," Colette said as she walked up and stood beside me. She pressed a hand to the top of her head and moved it towards mine. I was half an inch taller, more or less.

"Hey, you're right…Wait! That wasn't why I came out here!" I straightened my shoulders and jabbed a finger at Lloyd, "Lloyd, I'm taking over breakfast this morning! Leave it to me!"

"Hey! It's my turn!"

"So? I wanna try a recipe I haven't touched in a while. And the ingredients are all in town, so why shouldn't I try it? You can have breakfast shift tomorrow."

Lloyd shrugged in resignation as Genis gave me a wry look. "As long as you don't set anyone on fire," the younger boy said with a hint of sarcasm.

I put on a serious-yet-mocking face and folded my arms in front of my chest, saying, "Then you guys might want to leave town. Things might get…blown up." I kept a straight face for about three seconds before losing control of my laughter, causing the others to erupt in laughter as well.

About twenty minutes later, Colette and I hauled our small purchases into the inn's lobby. We'd checked earlier and found that the kitchen was nothing more than a walk-in closest with a sink, an extremely outdated oven/stove/thing, and a cupboard full of relatively clean pans and mixing bowls. As we set up the ingredients for breakfast, I began to wonder if anyone had even used that room in the last month or two.

"So what are you making?" Colette asked. "You never mentioned it when we were shopping."

"Well, it's something along the lines of Powdered Cinnamon Bread, but it's toasted and amazing with maple syrup." I sighed as I pulled out the eggs. "It's too bad syrup is so expensive. Sure, that shop keeper gave us a few extra eggs for free, but syrup would've been the icing on the cake."

"I'm sure it will still taste great with the jam you picked, Ari," Colette replied comfortingly. I glanced at her to see her beaming at me, and I felt my face flush. She really knew how to make someone feel warm and fuzzy, despite her own pain. I caught myself sighing again and disguised it as a yawn. This was not the time for feeling sorry for others. I'd have plenty of time for self loathing and depression later.

"Okay, Colette!" I pulled out several pans from the cupboard and held two out to her. "Let's get cookin'!"

Suddenly the room was filled with smoke, leaving the two of us coughing and waving our hands in an attempt to push the stuffy air away from our faces. I saw a flash of white and green out of the corner of my eye and groaned. Either he had been hiding somewhere in the room or just happened to be conveniently passing by. If he was stalking us, I was seriously going to gut him like a fish, once I learned how.

"GREETINGS!" the Wonder Chef shouted as he appeared in front of us. Once again, he wore a stupid grin and was waving his insanely huge fork around like a wand. I stifled a laugh and held a pan out towards him.

"Wonderful. You can help too," I said with a wry smirk.

The Wonder Chef scoffed at the pan and waved his fork towards the stove, causing several large, well made pans to appear.

"If I'm a real chef, which I am," he said boastfully, "they you are attempting to make Toasted Cinnamon Bread!"

I gave him a surprised look, then nodded. "Yeah…you know the recipe?"

"Of course! This head wasn't made to just look pretty! It's full of amazing recipes and tips for making everything from tuna casseroles to the best carrot cake!"

I grinned, holding back a comment about his 'pretty head', and began greasing the pans. "Well if you're so amazing, Great and Mighty Wonder Chef, why not help out a couple of pretty girls? I haven't made this in a while, so I might be in need of some assistance."

The Chef, blushing slightly from flattery, agreed. He soon began pointing out several key points for me to remember when using a stove in the future. Like how you have to beat the eggs thoroughly before coating the bread with them, and also that heating the pan too quickly can cause the grease to burn off. It was a lesson I found invaluable.

It felt good to take my mind off the journey for a while, and Colette seemed to be having fun as well. She was giggling constantly while flipping the slices of bread over in the pan. And she thought it was amazing that the Wonder Chef could flip the bread by throwing it up in the air and catching it in the pan. To him, it was always fun to cook. It was his life; his dream. Wherever he went, all he did was teach people the joys of cooking and how a simple homecooked meal could bring people together.

We ended up finishing faster than I'd hoped, and the Chef gave us a smile and a bow before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I wished he could stay and keep teaching me things, but I knew that somewhere else in the worlds, a child was begging their parents for a decently-made cookie. I know I would be. I missed having cookies. Maybe Genis would help me make some once we reached the next town.

I stopped scrubbing the pan in my hand and frowned. I'd forgotten the next town was Luin. There was no way we'd be able to make cookies before then. From what I remembered, the Chosen's group would leave Asgard, head for Lake Umacy, then Balacruf Mausoleum, and on to Luin. By then, the town would be in ruins, and Sheena would join up. But the world I was in seemed to follow a slightly altered path. Things appeared in order, but the one odd thing about it all was that I was here.

"Ari? Are you alright?" Colette asked, giving my shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You've got this serious look on your face."

"Ah, I'm fine," I said quickly, banishing thoughts of the journey from my mind. "I'm just a little worn out from cooking. The Chef really knows how to work someone to the bone."

Colette gave me a smile and picked up two plates of the French Toast and headed for the door. But before she could reach it, she began to wobble. I dropped the pan I had been cleaning in the sink and shifted my body so she could lean on me to regain her balance. For a moment she did, but then one of the plates slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor. Both of us flinched as the sharp sound echoed around the room and possibly down the hall.

Of course, the first thing out of her mouth was: "I'm so sorry!"

"Colette, it's okay. It's just a plate. I'm sure we can pay the inn for the damages. It's not like we burned down half the building."

I gave her a smile and picked up the largest pieces of the broke plate, only to give a small yelp of pain. I looked down to see blood steadily dripping from a long cut across my index, middle, and ring fingers. For a second, it looked like I had a thin red ribbon falling from my hand, but then it turned darker and darker until it finally turned black. Suddenly my ears were filled with the sound of heavy breathing and hoarse whispers.

…_let me out…let me out…!_

I clenched my fist tightly and stumbled to the sink, my vision beginning to swim. I didn't usually mind blood nowadays. I'd gotten used to it, with all the injuries everyone receives from monsters almost every day. This injury should've registered under "Not worthy of fainting", but for some reason it did. I was ready to pass out as I ran cold water over the small gashes.

"Ari, let me see your hand."

I glanced over my shoulder to see Kratos standing near me, his hand outstretched. How the hell had he gotten here so fast? If I didn't already know what he was, I would've mentioned how inhuman his sped was. But my mind was a little muddled from blood loss, and I was barely keeping my head up.

I looked back at my hand and blinked several times. The black blood was gone, replaced by watered down red. I uncurled my hand under the water, winced as it stung, and held it out to Kratos. He used First Aid to mend it in a flash, leaving only a small pink line in the gash's place. It hadn't seemed that deep at first, but then again I might've grabbed the plate a little too tightly.

"Are you lightheaded? Go sit down in the lobby. Colette and I will bring everyone breakfast."

The thought of someone else serving everyone my specialty breakfast snapped my senses back into focus. I had my pride, and a little paper cut wasn't going to stop me from seeing the looks on everyone's faces when they tried my food.

"I'm fine. Let's serve everyone before they starve. Colette, can you go and get everyone together in our room?"

"Okay." She breathed a sigh of relief as she flounced off to gather the boys from wherever they were. Kratos stayed behind and helped me redistribute food and gather the plates and any silverware I'd forgotten. We each carried three plates up to the room and were swiftly greeted by Lloyd's drooling face.

"Is breakfast finally ready?" he whined, giving me a look that was meant to invoke some level of pity from me. All it invoked from me was a smirk and a scoff.

"Hey, cooking this stuff for several people takes a while. And besides, we had a bit of a run-in with the Wonder Chef, so he nearly doubled the time it usually takes for me to make this." I handed him a plate and set the jar of jam on the table by the window. "I hope you all like it."

"Mmm…what smells good?"

Everyone turned to see Raine emerge from under her bedcovers. Her hair stuck up in funny angles, a typical bed-head hairstyle that I would've never imagined her with. It made her look younger. Instead of early thirties, she had the look of a disgruntled college kid. When I'd gone on college tours with my mom, I'd seen several students with the exact hairstyle and demeanor she now displayed.

Without staring too much, I smiled and offered her a plate. "Breakfast. Toasted Cinnamon Bread with jam instead of syrup."

"Oh, I remember this," she said with a small smile. "Genis made this for me after I'd had a bad day of teaching a _certain _student." She sent Lloyd a discreet smirk and began cutting her toast. When she took her first bite, her eyes lit up and filled with warmth. "Just like then. It's got a similar feeling to it."

"Professor is right, Ari. I can't help but smile when I eat this," Lloyd said with his mouth full. Genis nodded and stabbed his last piece with his fork.

"It has a very homey taste to it. Just the right amount of cinnamon, but a little too much powdered sugar."

"Ah, that was my fault!" Colette said as her face turned bright red. "I tripped with the bag of sugar and spilled it all over the counter after Ari had plated the toast, so…"

Everyone erupted in laughter over it, and I found myself unable to continue eating. But it wasn't for a bad reason. It was because my heart was ready to explode from happiness. My friends liked my cooking. I'd even seen Kratos try and hide a smile after trying the first piece. Even something as small as that made me feel amazing.

But at the same time, I felt bad. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Colette picked at her food, barely even taking a bite. I wanted to confront her about it, but at the same time I wanted to feign ignorance. It was like instinct for me. If something wrong was going on, I wanted to turn and pretend I hadn't seen it. And I couldn't stand that part of me.

At that moment, I realized what I had to do. I had to change myself for the better. I'd be stronger and kinder to people, even if I didn't know them. I wasn't going to run from my pain anymore. It was time for me to change.

However, that required me to get out of Colette's dress first.

About fifteen minutes later, I was standing in front of Asgard's armor and clothing shop. Colette and Raine were with me, ready to lend their advice on my choice of fashion and its practicality for battle. Frankly, I was surprised Raine was able to move about like she could. I'd thought her injuries would be a bit more serious, but damn, she was not the kind of woman who'd take laying in bed over giving her personal brand of "Sage Advice."

Ha ha. Pun intended.

I still had plenty of money, despite the small chunk I'd used to buy cooking supplies. That left me with around 2200 Gald, and I wasn't going to blow it all on clothes. I had to keep in mind the small fact that we were starting to run low on gels. Once I'd purchased my clothes, we'd spend the rest on gels and antidotes. And soap. I insisted on at least that.

Inside the shop was slightly crowded, much to my mock delight. The townspeople were buying yards of colorful fabric by the armloads, leaving the tailor half of the store nearly barren. But I focused my attention on the outfits that had already been made. I found one that would've fit the swordsmen of Kratos' class, and then another that would've looked good on me, had I been blonde. But since my hair is dark brown, it didn't help in my search at all.

"I know I shouldn't be picky, but come on. If people saw me wearing that color blue, they'd have a laughing fit. I'd rather have something green or brown," I grumbled to myself.

"Well, what about this?" Colette asked as she held up an outfit I immediately regretted missing. The undershirt was merely a black tank top with a light green leafy design sewn into the neckline, but it was the vest and matching shorts and skirt that caught my eye. The vest was a dark shade of green that covered chest and followed the curve of my ribcage, leaving the midriff portion of the tank top exposed. The shorts were black like the undershirt, but only the left leg was exposed. The other was covered by a camouflage colored skirt with a large slit cut up to the hip. The shoes were knee high boots, and they gave me an extra quarter of an inch when I stood straight up. The whole outfit was comfortable, perfectly colored, and felt as if it had been tailored to my exact taste in clothes. I'd wanted to wear stuff like this on Earth, but my mom had said it was "too wild" for me, and that it didn't suit me. But looking at myself in a mirror, I knew this look was meant for me. It felt perfect. And I just about died when I saw the price.

"Two thousand gald? That's a steal!" I cried happily as the man behind the counter smiled and showed me the tag.

"Well, considering you helped us rid the town of that monster, it's the least we can do. Normally it'd be three thousand, but I figure I'd just return the favor now." He gave me a wink while the Professor and Colette headed for the door, and I blushed bright red. Was he…flirting with me!

I left the shop with my head all mixed up and filled with fuzzy thoughts. I replayed the last few moments several times over in my head before giving up completely, though. Honestly, I knew I couldn't have any kind of relationship with someone from this town, let alone the entirety of both planets. It would only be harder for me to go in the end.

Besides…I already had a crush on someone back on Earth.

"Ari! Hurry up!" Raine shouted from a little ways ahead. "We still have some shopping to do, remember?"

I blinked away thoughts of Earth and jogged to catch up to the girls, keeping my mind focused on getting through the day without ripping my new gear.

* * *

Please let me know what you think! An update will be posted as soon as possible! I'll try and aim for end of June, so please be patient a little longer with me!

Wing out!


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